© Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)



In recent years, SeoulTech students have been able to enjoy breakfast for just 1,000-won at restaurants in the SeoulTech’s Student Union Bldg.1. This initiative is jointly led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS). The service aims to ease the financial burden of food expenses on students while encouraging better eating habits. The program was launched at Chonnam National University in 2015. Following a positive reception from students, MA FRA and EPIS officially adopted it as a government-subsidized scheme, rolling it out across Korea.

SeoulTech’s 1,000-Won Breakfast Launch

SeoulTech’s 1,000-Won Breakfast program officially launched on April 22, 2024, following a major reorganization of restaurant facilities in the Student Union Bldg.1. While SeoulTech had long been interested in joining the program, several obstacles delayed progress. At the time, the Student Union Bldg.1's restaurants were out of use, and those in Student Union Bldg.2's lacked the equipment needed to serve high-volume, quality meals. The renovation of the Student Union Bldg.1's restaurants, now rebranded as ST: Table, finally made the program possible. To ensure benefits were reserved exclusively for SeoulTech students, the program introduced a reservation-only system through the smartphone app PAYCO, where meal tickets are secured on a first-come, first-served basis.

Student Perspectives

To examine SeoulTech students’ views on the 1,000-Won Breakfast program, The SeoulTech conducted a student survey. The results showed that 96.4% of respondents are aware of the program, with respondents falling into three main groups: those who are unable to use the service as often as they would like due to limited availability (33.3%), those who do not use the program at all (25.9%), and those who use the program more than three times a week (22.2%). Among those who take advantage of the discounted breakfasts, the impact has been largely positive, with 76% of respondents saying it had positively in fluenced their breakfast habits, indicating that the offer has broadly improved students’ daily routines. In terms of satisfaction, 81% cited cost-effectiveness as the most appealing aspect, with ease of access on campus also highlighted as a key advantage.

Despite the program’s popularity, student responses regarding areas for improvement revealed some of its shortcomings. Open-ended responses showed clear enthusiasm, with one student commenting, “Please introduce a 1,000-won dinner as well,” and others praising both the taste and value. However, 67% of respondents identified limited quantity as the biggest issue, and many raised concerns about restricted supply and the inconvenience of PAYCO being the only accepted payment method. These findings suggest that while satisfaction remains high, there is a clear need to expand both supply and payment options.

The 1,000-Won Breakfast program, introduced to ease students’ food expenses and promote healthier eating habits, has proven both popular and impactful. However, limitations such as insufficient meal supply and the restriction to a single payment method suggest that there is still scope to improve SeoulTech’s implementation of the scheme.

Reporters

Seongbeom Hong

hongsb@seoultech.ac.kr

Sua Lee

sualee7@g.seoultech.ac.kr

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• e-mail : hongsb@seoultech.ac.kr

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