As food costs rise, students flock to temples, cafeterias for free and ultracheap meals
Published: 24 Apr. 2026, 07:00
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![People eat free food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/24/8d929518-7d8b-4162-bc0b-9973452db5f3.jpg)
People eat free food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]
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.
![People queue for food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/24/1ffc9ebd-2bb7-4216-9417-353b0a461363.jpg)
People queue for food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]
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.”
![People queue for food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/24/c0c9cb2a-1701-486e-a09a-b53d7e17bbd5.jpg)
People queue for food at Yeonhwa temple in eastern Seoul on April 21. [JOONGANG ILBO]
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.
![People queue for 1,000 won (68 cents) university meals in a university in Seoul. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/24/a57de6cd-afb9-4f00-90ef-e13fc8651cdb.jpg)
People queue for 1,000 won (68 cents) university meals in a university in Seoul. [JOONGANG ILBO]
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.
![The main page of the Geoji Map, which shows restaurants offering inexpensive dishes [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/24/f766a9e1-ce06-4c95-b4ef-4c021965c7f3.jpg)
The main page of the Geoji Map, which shows restaurants offering inexpensive dishes [SCREEN CAPTURE]
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 restaurants shown on the Geoji Map with my friends.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE GYU-RIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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