As food costs rise, students flock to temples, cafeterias for free and ultracheap meals

This article is by Lee Gyu-rim and read by an artificial voice. On Tuesday at noon, some 30 university students formed a long queue — not for some viral food craze like Dubai chewy cookies, but for free food from a Buddhist temple: Yeonhwa temple, in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul. The unlikely scene came as the ever-rising inflation rate and increased tuition fees lead young students to find any free food they can — even vegetarian temple meals. "There are actually fewer people today because it is exam season," the head of public relations at Yeonhwa temple, who goes by the Buddhist name of Daegilhaeng, said Wednesday. "We served 160 meals last week, and we even had to open the monks' dining hall, which had been closed, because there was not enough space." The rush to Buddhist temples reflects the growing financial strain on young people, who are turning to a wide range of low-cost options, from 1,000 won (68 cents) campus meals and budget restaurant apps to free meals at temples near universities. The social welfare foundation under the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism also launched a free lunch program for college students last month at three temples near universities in Seoul, with all three recording one-and-a-half to two times more users than a year earlier. The meal provided by Yeonhwa Temple on April 21 did not include any meat, but students packed the temple dining hall because the eight-dish lunch was free. The meal that day included fried seaweed rolls, seasoned bean sprouts and acorn jelly, along with fruit and yogurt. Most trays were left clean, with little food wasted. Students said they came because they could get a meal at little or no cost. "I didn't have high hopes as I don't usually eat veggies and it was free food," Lee Da-ye, a Kyung Hee University student, said. "But it turned out to be good now that I've tried it, and I think I'll come back." Another Kyung Hee University student visited the temple every Tuesday despite being Protestant. "I usually eat at restaurants around school, but paying more than 10,000 won for one meal feels burdensome, so I come here every Tuesday for lunch," the student said. "I'm grateful because it's a good program regardless of religion." The growing demand comes as students tighten their budgets, starting with food costs, amid rising tuition and inflation. Sixty-five percent of the 190 four-year universities in Korea raised tuition fees this year, according to the Korean Association of Private University Presidents, while consumer prices rose 2.2 percent and the cost of living index rose 2.3 percent from a year earlier in March, according to Statistics Korea. Prices for key food items also jumped sharply over the same period, with rice up 15.6 percent, eggs up 7.8 percent and pork up 6.3 percent from a year earlier. As a result, long lines are also forming every day for some universities' 1,000 won breakfast programs. More than 30 students were already waiting outside a student cafeteria at Seoul National University before it opened at 7:55 a.m. on April 15. Josephine, a student from Indonesia, was no exception. "When I first came to Korea three years ago, a tray of eggs cost 6,000 won, but these days it is around 10,000 won, so I can really feel how much prices have gone up," she said. Josephine uses the discounted meal program about three times a week to save on food expenses. The average number of daily users of its 1,000 won breakfast program in March rose steadily from 761 in 2024 to 792 in 2025 and 802 this year, according to Seoul National University's student affairs office. There's even an app that is dedicated to finding and sharing offers of ultracheap meals. The Geoji Map, translated to the "Poor Map," attracted more than 1.25 million cumulative users and listed about 3,800 restaurants on its map. "I'm living alone near the university and it's really expensive to dine out," Jeong Jin-wook, a Kyung Hee University student, said. "So I've been visiting the ...