On the 29th of last month, school meal workers, clothed in aprons, celebrated the passing of an amendment related to school meal laws at the National Assembly. This legislative change is set to secure the legal status of school meal workers, transforming their previously vulnerable and unsafe working conditions that subjected them to excessive labor without clear standards. The chairperson of the National Assembly, Woo Won-sik, acknowledged the lengthy process leading to this moment and expressed a commitment towards further legislative efforts.

The delay in addressing the conditions of school meal workers raises questions about the intertwining of governmental policies aimed at reducing women's domestic burdens with the promotion of social participation. Originally stemming from policy goals in the 1990s, school meal services were supposed to alleviate the workload of mothers while also encouraging their re-employment. However, this problematic amalgamation treated school meal labor as a simple extension of domestic responsibilities and failed to address its complexity and inherent risks.

The reality of school meal labor is marked by a high degree of risk; the industry’s accident rate exceeds that of construction, indicating systemic neglect over many years. With an alarming number of workers classified under occupational diseases, including 178 diagnosed with lung cancer, the existing work environment is deemed unsustainable. The factors of hazardous working conditions and poor wages highlight structural discrimination within the feminized care labor sector, pointing out the urgent need not only for policy reform but also for broader societal change that recognizes and supports the dignity of these workers and their vital contributions to education.