CHILDREN IN NEED STRUGGLE OVER MEALS

[Anchor Lead]

For some children, school breaks are not associated with fun, because they can't afford to buy food. With school cafeterias closed during holidays, these children struggle to find affordable meals.

[Pkg]

This adolescent boy is from a family that relies on basic livelihood subsidies. He sets out to find food that he can buy with a card provided by the government to poorly fed children. The daily limit is 7,000 won. The menu says a bowl of noodles costs 5,000 won. One serving of pork cutlets 7,500 won.

[Soundbite] (Recipient of meal subsidy card(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Everything is expensive. I can't afford it. My card has a limit. That's the hardest part. I just skip meals. I have no choice."

There is not much the boy can afford to buy at a large supermarket, either. He ends up buying seaweed and eggs sold at discounted prices.

[Soundbite] (Recipient of meal subsidy card (VOICE MODIFIED)) : "There is a lot of food I'd like to have and I am hungry. But prices are very expensive. I end up eating the same food every day. I'm tired of it now."

The Health Ministry recommends that 7,000 won per meal is provided to this group. That's too low compared to the current prices. Some local governments with sufficient budgets in Seoul and Busan raised the limit to 9,000 won. But some local governments in Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangnam-do provinces that struggle financially can only provide a daily meal subsidy of just 6,000 won. The price differences often leads to difference in the quality of food.

[Soundbite] Cho Young-man(Goseong-gun County Office) : "Some local governments can afford more funding, but others can't. The minimum daily limit that can be spent on decent meals should be raised further."

Some 300,000 children in Korea younger than 18 are eligible for meal subsidies. Many say more needs to be done to prevent them from starving.