Free meal center near Seoul Station shows another side of Seoul

Luggage marking individuals’s locations in line stretch exterior the Really Good Associates free meal middle close to Seoul Station, July 16. Korea Instances photograph by Gong Byung-sun

Exterior a free meal distribution middle close to Seoul Station, a battle broke out throughout a current afternoon.

“You simply minimize in line,” accused one aged man. The opposite man, equally aged, denied the accusation, claiming he was there first. Then, with out warning, fists flew and the squabble was a brawl.

These standing close by, nevertheless, barely appeared involved. They have been extra preoccupied with ensuring the backpacks that they had positioned on the pavement weren’t combined up or pushed apart.

Each marked its proprietor’s place in line to obtain a free meal. Right here, a volunteer group known as Really Good Associates arms out 200 meals. Competitors for the meals, distributed on a first-come, first-served foundation, is fierce, partially as a result of the meals is unusually beneficiant: grilled quick rib patties, stir-fried kimchi, Korean chive pancakes and purple rice.

The path of backpacks already stretched to the tip of the road, regardless that the meal service was nonetheless three hours away. Right here, reducing in line is handled as virtually a felony. When an aged lady tried to slide into the road, she was instantly met with a roar of protests and curses. One man even marched as much as her and started shouting in her face.

A workers member at Really Good Associates stated fights get away over locations in line virtually each distribution day, as round 10 individuals inevitably have to go away empty-handed.

“We’re making an attempt to function many individuals as doable, however we’re stretched so skinny financially that we will’t even supply a bottle of water with the meals,” the workers member stated.

The group initially served meals to homeless individuals day by day for 35 years, starting in 1987. As its funds deteriorated, nevertheless, it decreased the service to twice per week in 2022 after which to as soon as per week this 12 months. Even that’s doable solely due to boxed-meal donations from Bonif, the corporate behind the Bon Dosirak chain. With out its assist, the group could be pressured to shut the meal middle altogether.

The group’s plight is way from distinctive. Behind headlines celebrating file inventory market highs and an export surplus fueled by a historic semiconductor upcycle, increasingly individuals are lining up without spending a dime meals. But volunteer teams throughout Seoul are struggling to maintain their meal packages working as persistent inflation and the weakening received drive meals costs increased, whereas monetary pressure leaves fewer individuals in a position to donate.

The Home of Thomas, one other volunteer group that serves free meals exterior Yeongdeungpo Station 4 instances on weekdays and as soon as on weekends, requested 150 10-kilogram sacks of government-supplied rice from the district workplace in Might.

The primary purpose was a 15.1 p.c surge in rice costs within the first half of the 12 months alone, which added to the stress on the group’s funds. The pressure pressured it to hunt help from the district workplace for the primary time since 2024.

Different meals objects, together with on the spot noodles and fruit, additionally carry appreciable prices. The group spends 4 million received (round $2,700) every month on on the spot noodles alone. To stop individuals from amassing extra meals greater than as soon as, it marks the again of every customer’s hand with a pink dot.

“We’ve lately begun serving barely smaller parts whereas telling those that are nonetheless hungry that they’ll ask for seconds,” a workers member on the Home of Thomas stated. “We want to give everybody beneficiant parts, however with so many individuals coming and never sufficient meals to go round, we now have little alternative.”

An aged man places on the spot noodles and a Korean melon he acquired on the Home of Thomas free meal middle into his bag in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, July 10. Korea Instances photograph by Gong Byung-sun

In the meantime, donations proceed to say no, placing volunteer teams in an more and more precarious place. Wongaksa, which runs a each day free meal program at Tapgol Park in Seoul, has secured solely two new donors this 12 months, in contrast with round 15 in a typical 12 months. Longtime donors have additionally begun withdrawing their assist, even because the month-to-month variety of guests to the meal middle has almost tripled, from 3,000 a decade in the past to 9,000 as we speak.

“With peculiar individuals struggling financially, they appear to have little room left to take care of neighbors in want,” stated Ko Younger-bae, secretary-general of the Wongaksa free meal middle. “Our month-to-month working prices have risen 15 p.c from final 12 months, whereas donations have declined. It’s a severe concern.”

However closing the facilities or scaling again meal providers is hardly an choice when organizers understand how early individuals rise to safe a spot in line and the way a lot a single meal means to them.

“I hardly ever have correct facet dishes at dwelling, and I can’t afford to eat at eating places,” one customer stated. “I’m grateful that I can no less than fill my abdomen right here.”

Ko stated the middle would proceed serving meals to these in want, irrespective of how troublesome the scenario grew to become.

“For now, we hope the federal government will do extra to ease the burden of rising costs so that folks have sufficient respiration room to go searching and assist neighbors in want,” he stated.

This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Instances, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Instances.