A yearslong legal battle over Babfor, Seoul’s storied soup kitchen, has sparked debate on urban redevelopment and social safety nets. Last month, a court blocked the Dongdaemun District Office’s demolition attempt, granting temporary relief to the charity serving the city’s poorest since 1988. The case underscores Korea’s high elderly poverty rate amid neighborhood gentrification.
In northeastern Seoul's Cheongnyangni neighborhood, once a gritty transit hub, luxury high-rises and soaring property values are transforming the area. Amid this shift, Babfor—Seoul’s most storied soup kitchen, meaning "sharing rice" in Korean—faces an uncertain future. Operating since 1988 under the Dail Welfare Foundation, it provides daily meals to up to 1,000 impoverished residents, serving as a vital stopgap in a country with low public social spending.
The legal clash escalated in 2021 when the foundation added two prefabricated wings to accommodate rising demand. By 2022, conflicting directives emerged: Seoul city officials initially approved via a "donation-in-kind" land-use agreement, but the Dongdaemun District Office deemed the construction illegal and imposed a 283 million won ($217,000) fine. Charity lawyers called it a betrayal of prior assurances, sparking a three-year court battle now before the Supreme Court.
Two lower courts ruled in the foundation’s favor, citing the government’s earlier stance as creating a "legitimate expectation" of protection. Yet victories feel empty, with volunteers noting withdrawn government aid for crowd control and soured relations.
"Some residents even call us a 'nuisance facility,' and they have also raised complaints with schools, saying it is not good for children to see homeless people coming and going," said Ju Min-kwan, the foundation’s secretary-general. He added that locals have urged boycotts of shops donating food or sending volunteers.
Experts urge compromise. "Some inappropriate behavior by a few older visitors clearly has the potential to trigger complaints, and Babfor must work harder to minimize harm to its neighbors," said Jung Soon-dul, a social welfare professor at Ewha Womans University. "At the same time, new high-rise complexes cannot simply demand the removal of an existing facility." She called for residents, the foundation, and officials to "meet in the middle" to protect the vulnerable while preserving community harmony.
With nearly 40 percent of Koreans over 65 in relative poverty—the highest rate in the developed world—the dispute highlights tensions between Seoul’s modernization drive and obligations to its most vulnerable citizens.
