[Editorial] Assembly Must Pass School Meal Amendment

A bill that would revise law on school meals in order to provide meals of better quality might not pass during the current ordinary session of the National Assembly, because the politicians are bickering over other things. A citizens' organization formed to seek the amendment and the establishment of more specific ordinances first suggested changes to legislators who then formally proposed it in the Assembly, but the bill is not even getting the proper attention from the education committee because members of the ruling and opposition parties are not even looking at it while they confront each other over other legislation.

The campaign to improve the quality of school meals has been through a lot of trials. The government and the National Assembly have long ignored the issue while civic groups have been working at the grassroots level. As a result local governments, following the lead of North Jeolla Province and including South Gyeongsang, Gyeonggi, North Chungbuk, and Seoul began passing ordinances requiring that quality Korean agricultural products be used in school kitchens. Simultaneously there has also been a campaign to have the actual law changed.

The government, however, says the ordinances violate the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It took them to court, and in September the Supreme Court sided with that position. After that the organization behind the campaign changed the wording of the proposed legislation, removing terms like "Korean agricultural products" and continued to call for the Assembly to pass something similar, and it was brought to committee with committee member approval.

As recently as November 24, when the bill arrived at the education committee's subcommittee for legislation review, it looked as if the campaign was going to bear fruit. At its first meeting the subcommittee wrangled over the "Basic Law on Human Resources Development" and then adjourned, and at its second meeting the school meal bill revision was excluded from the agenda.

In other words, the more immediately important issue of what our children eat is being left to the wayside because of political bickering. The behavior of the politicians is just pathetic.

The amendment was written with the goal of providing children with safe, quality meals and creating a breakthrough for farmers moaning because of market liberalization. The bill most not miss its chance during the current Assembly session.

The Hankyoreh, 5 December 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]