Bill to strengthen food access clears National Assembly plenary

An amendment to the Framework Act on Agriculture, Rural Community and Food Industry, sponsored by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Bok Gi-wang, passed the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday — about six months after it was introduced in January.

Bok chairs the party's Social Solidarity Economy Committee and serves as the ruling party's floor whip on the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. He said the bill originated as a citizen proposal that the Democratic Party adopted as the first of its "Chal-but" campaign pledges, formally launching the legislative push. The amendment cleared the standing committee on agriculture, food, maritime affairs and fisheries in May before passing the full plenary Wednesday.

At the heart of the amendment is the first statutory definition of "food accessibility" in Korean law, along with a mandate requiring the central government and local authorities to formulate policies to improve it.

Under the new law, the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs must conduct a food accessibility survey every five years and make the results public. The central and local governments may then use those findings to design and carry out support projects. The amendment also requires that plans to improve food accessibility be incorporated into regional food strategies and rural welfare policies.

Once the law takes effect, areas where residents struggle to obtain fresh food — due to a shortage of grocery stores, transportation links or delivery services — and the underlying causes are expected to be identified in concrete terms. The government will be able to use that data to tailor support projects to vulnerable communities, with the aim of easing nutritional imbalances among at-risk groups such as the elderly and children and improving public health overall.

"The food gap is not simply a matter of consumption — it is a basic lifestyle issue directly tied to regional inequality," Bok said. "The state must strengthen its responsibility so that access to food does not vary depending on where people live or their living conditions."

He added that in areas lacking grocery stores or transportation and delivery networks, it is difficult for anyone to obtain fresh food, and that can lead to nutritional imbalances. The central government and local authorities must share responsibility for ensuring that healthy food is available to everyone regardless of where they live or how old they are, he said. "I will follow through to the end — securing the implementing regulations and the budget — so that the food accessibility surveys and support projects are carried out properly on the ground," he said.