Netizens Push Back Against "Cake on Rice" Backlash... "Starting Regular Donations to Anna’s House"

Encouraging Messages Flood Anna's House Volunteer Facility
Founded During the IMF Crisis to Support Homeless People and Youth

Father Hajong Kim, originally from Italy, who has been providing free meals to the homeless, posted a photo of a meal tray with rice and cake served together, which led to a flood of malicious comments. However, some online users have moved to support Father Kim, expressing encouragement and actively making donations, inspiring many.

Previously, on June 13, Father Kim posted a photo on Instagram showing the meal service at Anna’s House, a volunteer facility for vulnerable groups. Anna’s House is a facility founded by Father Kim in 1998 during the IMF crisis to help the homeless and young people.

Photo posted by Father Kim Hajong. Instagram capture.

The meal tray in the photo posted by Father Kim at the time included steamed rice, soup, several side dishes, and even cake for dessert. Father Kim wrote, “Because bakeries continuously donate cakes, our friends get to share sweet birthday cakes and enjoy happy moments, even when it’s not a special day,” adding, “Once again, I sincerely thank the bakery owners for donating delicious cakes today.”

However, the post unexpectedly received a cold response from some online users. Malicious comments criticized the fact that cake was placed on top of the rice. Comments included, “Everything’s fine, but putting cake on rice crosses the line,” “Who would eat cake on rice?” and “What are you doing? This is infuriating,” with several laced with profanity.

Father Ha-jong Kim, who naturalized in Korea from Italy and is serving. Instagram

As the controversy grew, other online users began to criticize the malicious comments and voiced their support for Father Kim. Messages of encouragement poured in, such as, “People lying around watching videos have no right to insult volunteers,” “I’m worried that thoughtless people might bother you,” and “Father and all the volunteers, you’re doing amazing work.” Some said that they learned the purpose behind Anna’s House through this incident and decided to donate, even if only a small amount. One user commented, “Please don’t be hurt. I want to help, even in a small way, so I’ll sign up for regular donations.”

Meanwhile, Father Kim’s birth name is Vincenzo Bordo, and he naturalized in Korea from Italy. He first set foot in Korea in 1990, took the name Hajong Kim after Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, a Korean Catholic priest and martyr, and began his ministry to help the vulnerable in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. It is said that the name “Anna” in Anna’s House signifies “to embrace, to share, and to rely on one another.”

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