| Members of the Civil Action for Vegetarian Meal hold a press conference in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in central Seoul, June 4, to call for expanded vegetarian options in school meals. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin |
By Lee Hae-rin
Lee Seung-ju, a 19-year-old high school senior, could barely eat at the school cafeteria for the last three months. Rice and dry seaweed, with no other side dishes, are usually all that's on his tray. If he's lucky, he might have some fruit, too.
Kim is a vegetarian and, for many other young people like him with plant-based diets, lunch break is an everyday challenge in Korea. While most of their peers still share the nation's strong carnivorous inclination, all the vegetarian students can eat is either plain white rice from the school cafeteria or their own lunch brought from home. They may also experience bullying for being “picky” at any time of the day.
"All I want is for everyone to feel safe and respected at the table, regardless of religion, convictions and allergies," Lee said.
The reasons for their diverse dietary restrictions vary, with some protesting the unethical slaughter of animals and others caring about the environment or their own health. And young vegetarians claim the meat-centered food program at schools infringes on their constitutional rights including freedom of conscience, right to self-determination and right to health.
This led a group of students and their parents to petition for the right to a meat-free diet. The Civil Action for Vegetarian Meal, a group of vegetarian students and parents, with the help of dozens of humanitarian activists and human rights lawyers, filed a petition to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), June 4, demanding that schools, regional education offices and the Ministry of Education systematically provide vegetable-based alternatives at school cafeterias.
“Currently the school lunches provided under the School Meal Act, do not guarantee the rights of students who opt for a vegetarian diet due to their own convictions, religion or health reasons,” the group said in a statement issued during a press conference in front of the commission on the day the petition was filed. “School meals are a part of students' right to education. But the petitioners are excluded from the school lunch program and face prejudice and discrimination for their 'picky' diets. This infringes on their right to receive equal education.”
For the past several years, there have existed initiatives to implement vegetarian options at schools at the regional educational office level. Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education, for example, began its “Meatless Monday” campaign in October 2020, and now provides a vegetarian alternative every day. Busan, Gwangju and North Jeolla Province have adopted similar programs, while Seoul has been serving vegetarian meals at public schools once every other week since this April.
| Students have vegetarian meals at their school cafeteria in Seoul. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education now provides meat-free meal options twice a month as part of its climate change education. Yonhap |
However, it is not going far enough to cover the dietary needs of vegetarian students nationwide. Moreover the programs are aimed specifically at tackling climate change and reducing the cities' carbon footprint, rather than guaranteeing vegetarian students' right to self-determination in their diets.
The commission has acknowledged the demand for vegetarian food at public facilities as a fundamental right in previous petitions. In 2012 it recognized a prisoner's right to request vegetarian meals as guaranteed in the freedom of conscience by the Constitution. In 2019, a man petitioned for a vegetarian dietary option before enlisting in the army, and the Ministry of National Defense now provides meat-free substitutes like tofu, vegetables and soy milk with every meal.
In response to the petition, an official of the Ministry of Education said it will seek to gather opinions from regional education offices and review feasible measures to meet the civic group's demands. Previously in polls conducted by the ministry, some schools pointed out that a lack of budget and workforce was the main obstacle to running a vegetarian corner in their cafeterias.
"We need to have more respect for students' choices and convictions ― not only in the school food program, but also in our education system in general,” Lim Do-hoon, one of the parents who filed the petition, said at the press conference.