<FREE SCHOOL MEAL>

South Korea's political scene has taken a new turn in the run-up to local elections in June, as the idea of providing free school meals for all children is emerging as the next big wedge issue that pits conservatives and liberals against each other.

While liberal and leftist opposition parties have adopted offering free meals at elementary and middle schools as one of their key campaign pledges for the upcoming local election slated for June 2, the conservative-leaning ruling camp is dismissing the proposal as a "populist" political stunt.

FREE LUNCH FOR ALL: OPP0SITION PARTIES

In South Korea, where education is mandatory through middle school, only some 970,000 students from low-income families, or 13 percent of all elementary and middle school students, get free meals at school.

Those advocating making free school meals a universal benefit, mostly on the liberal side of the political spectrum, have criticized the current system as discriminatory in nature, as it singles out only the disadvantaged children as beneficiaries of the government support, a potential cause of school bullying or harassment.

"Offering free school meals is not a matter of budget; it's a matter of a will," the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Chung Se-kyun recently said in a meeting with party officials, vowing that the Democrats, if they triumph in the coming elections, would gradually carry out the key campaign pledge.

"In South Korea's compulsory education system, providing free meals at school is in line with the spirit of the Constitution and other education-related laws," Chung said.

The push for free school lunch is backed up by other minor oppositions, namely the leftist Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and the New Progressive Party (NPP), which have long championed the idea and made legislative proposals on free school lunch programs.

Some 2,000 civic groups have also joined in the drive and formed what is called the Grassroots Citizens' Alliance for Environmentally Friendly Free School Meals, which local media say is the biggest alliance united under a single cause.

NO FREE LUNCH FOR RICH: RULING PARTY

Meanwhile, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is dismissing the move as a populist and leftist approach to woo voters.

"The pledge (of the opposition parties) is a tempting populist approach adopted before the local elections," Chung Mong-joon, head of the governing camp, said in a recent meeting with party officials, calling populism a "threat to South Korea's democracy."

The Grand Nationals call, instead, for providing free meals only for students from poor families, so that the government support can be more focused on the disadvantaged. They also cite budget issues as another concern, as universal free lunch programs, if introduced, would account for one tenth of the total budget earmarked education projects, which they say would make too large a dent in the fiscal soundness of the country.

"Offering free lunch even for students from well-to-do families would ultimately hamper the interest of the public," a GNP spokesman recently said in an official comment.

With the issue becoming increasingly politicized, the South Korean government and the GNP in late March agreed to extend free meals to 2 million children from low-income families, or 26 percent of all elementary and middle school students, by 2012.

An additional 400 billion won (354.8 million U.S. dollars) will be needed every year to fund the project, according to the government.

The decision ended up facing only stiffer opposition, as liberals called for drastically expanding the program by scrapping some government-led large infrastructure-building projects, such as a plan to revamp South Korea's four major rivers, to address potential budget problems.

Questions:

1. Do you agree on the free school meal ordinance?

2. Are you willing to pay more taxes if government starts a free meal for young students?

3. Whst is free school meal ? Is it real welfare or indiscreet populism?