'Hearty Lunch for Office Workers' Begins... 20% Lunch Subsidy for SME Employees

Lunch Subsidies for 50,000 SME Employees Starting May 21

Up to 40,000 Won per Month

Companies in the "1,000-Won Breakfast for Industrial Complex Workers" Program Excluded

The "Hearty Lunch for Office Workers" program, which provides partial support for lunch expenses for employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will begin on May 21, 2026. The program will subsidize 20% of lunch costs, up to a maximum of 40,000 won per month.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on May 19, 2026, that it will launch the Hearty Lunch for Office Workers program starting on May 21, 2026, in order to ease the lunch expenses of SME employees with limited income and welfare, and to revitalize the stagnant dining-out sector.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained, "This program was established to reduce the lunch dining costs burden for SME employees. It will be operated by partially subsidizing workers' lunch dining expenses through cooperation between the central and local governments and with sponsorship from KB Financial Group."

The program targets approximately 50,000 employees currently working at SMEs as defined by the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises. The participating companies must already be providing lunch meal allowances to their employees. However, companies participating in the "1,000-Won Breakfast for Industrial Complex Workers" program are not eligible for overlapping support and are therefore excluded from this initiative. SMEs wishing to participate can apply to the local government where they are located.

Employees selected as recipients can receive a 20% discount (up to a monthly maximum of 40,000 won) when paying for lunch at restaurants between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The program does not cover payments at staff cafeterias, convenience stores, or online payments through delivery apps.

Jung Kyungseok, Director of the Food Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We hope that the Hearty Lunch for Office Workers program will not only alleviate the real financial burden for SME employees, but also serve as a mutually beneficial model by boosting sales at local restaurants. We will continue to expand the program by strengthening communication with private companies and local governments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.