Military to raise troops' daily meal cost next month

Published : Jun 3, 2021 - 13:04 Updated : Jun 3, 2021 - 13:04

Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party, speaks during a visit to the 202nd Brigade of the 72nd Infantry Division in Yangju, some 50 kilometers north of Seoul, on May 27, 2021, to inspect military living conditions. (Pool photo-Yonhap)

The military will raise the average daily meal cost for service members by 14 percent to 10,000 won ($9) next month, the defense ministry said Thursday, amid criticism soldiers, especially those under coronavirus quarantine, are poorly fed.

The decision was announced as the government launched an interagency task force to come up with measures to improve troops' living conditions following a series of complaints over inconveniences.

The quality of military meals, in particular, gained attention after active-duty soldiers uploaded photos of their meals on a Facebook page that serves as an anonymous bulletin board for troops, leading to Defense Minister Suh Wook's apology.

The ministry had originally planned to raise the daily meal cost next year, but the push has been advanced "under close coordination with the financial authorities," the ministry said. (Yonhap)