Gyeonggi Assemblyman Calls for Neulbom School Safety Overhaul After Rotten Ingredient discovery
YONGIN, SOUTH KOREA – Gyeonggi Provincial Council Education Administration Committee member Kim Geun-yong has demanded urgent improvements to safety and hygiene protocols within the province’s rapidly expanding Neulbom School program, following reports of spoiled ingredients used in a school-run cooking activity. The call came during a November 11th administrative audit of the Yongin, Hwaseong-Osan, Yangpyeong, and Uijeongbu Offices of Education.
Neulbom Schools, designed to provide after-school care and educational enrichment, have grown from a pilot program in 2023 to encompass approximately 1,350 schools across Gyeonggi Province. While participation and satisfaction are reportedly high, Kim highlighted concerns regarding inconsistent safety and hygiene standards, particularly within programs operated by contracted service providers.
Kim recounted a specific incident involving a parent receiving a sandwich made by a student in a “Cooking Neulbom Program” that contained rotten ingredients.He criticized the subsequent response from program staff, which he described as offering only a refund, characterizing it as a presentation of lacking educational responsibility.
“Even though the Cooking Neulbom program is an experiential educational activity in which children learn by handling food ingredients directly, it is indeed being operated without even basic inspection of food ingredients,” Kim stated during the audit. ”This is a structural problem where management and supervision responsibility is unclear.”
Kim clarified his intention was not to eliminate cooking programs, but to ensure their safe operation. He urged the Offices of Education to revise hygiene and safety manuals for both teachers and contracted companies, and to implement regular training and inspections. He specifically called on the Hwaseong-Osan Office of Education to develop improvement plans in response to the incident.
“For Neulbom School to establish itself as an education and care program trusted by children, diversity is vital, but hygiene and safety must be prioritized,” Kim emphasized.
The Neulbom School initiative aims to provide accessible after-school care,addressing the needs of working parents and offering students additional learning opportunities. The program’s rapid expansion has presented logistical and oversight challenges, prompting calls for increased regulatory scrutiny and standardized safety measures.
