At Yonsei University's Bureulsaem Cafeteria on April 11, five students lined up before a counter to have a rare menu item for a Korean university cafeteria — a vegan lunch.

The vegan lunch was 7,000 won ($4.90) for students and included bibimbap, miso soup, braised tofu, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and salad that day. Patties using plant-based meat were included as a side dish, or banchan.


Yonsei University offers a vegan meal at the Bureulsaem Cafeteria every Friday at lunch, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Although named a vegan buffet, those who choose the option get their food served to them rather than as the usual all-you-can-eat buffet.

Masyitah, a student who tried the vegan meal twice this semester, was also in line with her friends.

"One of my friends first let me know about the vegan lunch," said Masyitah. "It's quite hard [to find vegan options near campus], but there are one or two restaurants that offer vegan options, so I go there or to this cafeteria."

More universities are adding food options for those with dietary restrictions, including vegan and halal meals.

Korea University is one, adding a 7,500-won halal salad to its Aegineung Cafeteria in November last year. According to the university, the salad only uses halal ingredients.

The salad is sold on weekdays starting at 9 a.m., served with different toppings fixed for each day of the week. Halal roast beef salad is served on Mondays and coconut shrimp salad on Tuesdays. Salad with halal chili sauce lamb is served on Wednesdays, salmon steak salad on Thursdays and tandoori chicken salad on Fridays.

When the Korea JoongAng Daily visited the campus on Monday at around 12:40 p.m., the halal salad was already sold out. According to the staff, the salad has proven popular and sells out most of the time, although it sold out quicker than usual that day.

KAIST also sells halal items at the Pulbit Maru cafeteria at the Student Center-2 building, which has offered halal options since 2015. Various burritos, rice bowls and yogurts are offered.

Chung-Ang University offers a vegan lunch at its Law School Building cafeteria for 6,000 won between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Dishes use plant-based meat, with the banchan rotating through three options: a vegan soy cutlet, vegan tteokgalbi and vegan ham.

The cafeteria doesn't specifically say vegan dishes are guaranteed throughout the weekdays, but the university says students can expect vegan options Monday to Friday during the semester, though not necessarily during vacations.

Although vegan or halal options exist on some campuses, insufficient demand has been the biggest problem.

Sahmyook University, founded by Seventh-day Adventist missionaries in 1906, has offered vegan meals using plant-based meat at the Pine House cafeteria for religious reasons.

However, following requests from the student council to add meat-based dishes, the cafeteria has offered vegan options only on Fridays during breakfast and lunch hours starting this spring semester.

Seoul National University used to offer a vegetarian buffet at the Gamgol Cafeteria, although it closed in 2023. The university cooperative tried but couldn't find another company that would run the vegetarian buffet, and a hamburger restaurant now operates where the cafeteria used to be.

Kitchen101 in building 220 sells poke, salad and soups and has served as an alternative since Gamgol Cafeteria's closure. Vegan dishes are specified on the menu, and the cafeteria sells plant-based meat options such as vegan meatballs.

"Various vegan options are offered through Kitchen101, and vegetarian items are also offered at Preppers, which opened on April 11," said a spokesperson for Seoul National University, referring to the new salad chain that opened at Dongwon Dining Hall.

Although some universities may lack vegan or halal items in their cafeterias, they try to accommodate students in other ways.

At Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), a venue known as Hara Int'l Kitchen is in the graduate dormitory. Students can use the kitchen to cook halal foods; bringing non-halal ingredients is strictly prohibited.

The kitchenette was first built in 2003 and renovated into a bigger space in 2023 to accommodate more students.

Although the kitchen is in the graduate dormitory, undergraduate students or those living outside the dormitory can also use the kitchenette after registering with the dormitory's student council representative.

When Kyung Hee University uploads weekly menus to its cooperative website, items without pork are marked in green font. The Seoul National University Cooperative also does the same, separately marking non-pork items.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]