Donghaeng restaurants share warmth with a hearty meal

"I'm so grateful to have at least one meal every day with my neighbors," said Kim Soo-nam, a 57-year-old resident, on Friday afternoon in Jung-gu, Seoul, as he looked at the neatly arranged lunch. In Jungnim-dong, specifically in Jjokbangchon, a shanty town with more than 460 households behind Seoul Station, many DongHaeng restaurants offer affordable meals to the neighborhood residents.

“Every day, 30 to 40 residents come to have a meal," said Lee Jin-sung, 39, the owner of Shin Hanyang Restaurant, who joined the Donghaeng restaurant program two years ago. "The restaurant has become like a 'neighborhood reception room,' where people come and go, meeting each other every day.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated private restaurants as Donghaeng restaurants, offering one meal a day (priced at 8,000 won) to residents of shanty towns. Currently, 43 restaurants operate as Donghaeng restaurants in five neighborhoods, including Jungnim-dong, Changsin-dong, and Dongja-dong.

Shin Hanyang Restaurant sells Korean dishes such as kimchi-jjigae, sundubu-jjigae, and bibimbap. “Sometimes I eat here, but I also take the food to go and eat it at home for dinner and the leftover side dishes for breakfast the next day,” said Kim, who visited the restaurant on this day. “So I can eat at least two hearty meals every day."

The Donghaeng restaurants also serve as safety guards for the neighborhood's residents. Mr. Lee personally delivers meals to one or two residents who are not feeling well and checks on them. “When an elderly customer who used to come often doesn't visit the restaurant for a long time, I sometimes wonder if something has happened to them,” says Lee. “If I can't check on them myself, I inform the Jjokbang Counseling Center and request their assistance.”

Last year, Donghaeng restaurants served 642,080 meals to residents of shanty towns, averaging 1,759 people per day. In an era of high prices, these restaurants are crucial in providing meals for the towns' residents. The owners of Donghaeng restaurants expressed satisfaction, citing not only increased sales but also the rewarding feeling of helping others.

The response has been so positive that Seoul plans to expand the program this year. The number of Donghaeng restaurants will increase from 43 to 49, offering more choices of restaurants and menus. Additionally, an employee from the Jjokbang Counseling Center will check the payment history of the meal card once a week. If a person has been absent for more than three days or shows a different usage pattern than usual, the center will assess their health and well-being with a care manager or nurse.


이채완 기자 chaewani@donga.com