Seoul's iconic cathedral feeding homeless in times of difficulties

Fr. Paik Kwang-jin makes soup to feed homeless people at Myeongdong Cathedral, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

In the past, Myeongdong Cathedral provided refuge for pro-democracy protesters; now it serves the neediest with free meals

By Lee Hae-rin

At the heart of Seoul's bustling downtown core stands a 68-meter high Gothic-style steeple surrounded by skyscrapers. It's the historic Myeongdong Cathedral.

As the country's best-known sacral architecture, it is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and a symbol of Catholicism's persecution and survival in Korea. It also tells the story of Korea's turbulent modern history as it once provided refuge for pro-democracy protesters in the 1980s.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now become a place to serve free meals for the homeless and underprivileged. Over 600 to 800 homeless people and senior citizens who live alone visit the place for food. Free meals are served every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Myeongdong Bab-jib," which means "an eatery for home-cooked meals in Myeongdong" in Korean, was launched in January last year by One Body One Spirit (OBOS), a religious organization within the Archdiocese of Seoul.

As several free meal services in Seoul have been closed in the wake of COVID-19, the organization developed its previous snack-sharing activities to the homeless in the area to make sure no one goes hungry in difficult times.

"As the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan said 'Let us be each other's bowl of rice,' the soup kitchen aims to serve as a shelter for the poor and neglected and bring the miracle of the five loaves and two fish," Fr. Paik Kwang-jin, the head of the organization, told The Korea Times, Sunday.

"(We believe that) the face of the poor is the face of Jesus and we see His face in people who come to our soup kitchen. So I'm preparing this soup thinking that I'm making it for Jesus."

Volunteers prepare to serve free meals at "Myeongdong Bab-jib," Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the soup kitchen serves as a bridge between those who are in need and kindhearted people who wish to help others. Since its opening in January 2021, the organization has fed over 80,000 people with the help of over 1,000 volunteers.

An OBOS official explained that those who come to help out at the soup kitchen are mostly people who had volunteered in other places that had been closed down temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic.

Volunteers come from various religious groups with different cultural backgrounds, Fr. Paik explained. A group of international students from Uzbekistan, Vietnam and China have also come to participate in the free meal service.

"I can feel the organizers' and volunteers' sincerity in preparing the best meal possible for the people in need," a volunteer member who wished to be identified only by her surname Shim said.

A volunteer provides an extra scoop of rice to a man at Myeongdong Cathedral, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

The soup kitchen is known as the "shrine for homeless" as it differentiates itself from other free meal services with unlimited refills of food.

"People who come here can have as much food as they want, whether it's rice, side dish, soup or water. They just need to raise their hands from where they sit and call for one of our volunteers," the OBOS official said. "We're serving fried eggs today, and last time we did that, some people would have as many as four or five, even seven, and we're happy to keep serving."

People are served free meals at separate tables in the soup kitchen of Myeongdong Cathedral, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Myeongdong Bab-jip is also known for its unique operating system, in which visitors are seated and served meals by volunteers just like a restaurant, rather than picking up their own meals.

"One of the reasons for operating this way was to maximize efficiency and safety. Since the beginning of the soup kitchen, we sought ways to minimize contact among people while serving by keeping distances and controlling paths," said a volunteer surnamed Lee who has been part of the soup kitchen since its launch last year.

It is also the organization's way of respecting visitors, as some of them are in wheelchairs or have difficulty walking with food trays, according another worker. Although the meals are served free of charge, the volunteers express their respect to the homeless people by treating them like usual restaurant customers.

"I appreciate what they do here, and the food is amazing, too. They look like angels to me," a regular customer of the soup kitchen who was there on Sunday told The Korea Times. Many others left the area with a smile, saying "Thank you," to the volunteer staff. Some even jumped and danced with joy, exclaiming, "I feel good! Very good!"

Myeongdong Cathedral, since opening in 1898, has long been a symbol of Korean Catholicism, playing a major role in helping people in need throughout history.

Fr. Ham Se-woong, wearing a priest robe, speaks with a megaphone at Myeongdong Cathedral, June 10, 1987. Courtesy of Catholic Priests Association for Justice

The cathedral served as a safe haven for students protesting against the Japanese occupation of Korea, as well as for pro-democracy activists in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987 alone, 127 pro-democracy demonstrations were held there by over 61,000 students, Catholic priests and politicians.

For many Korean people, the cathedral is perceived as a symbol of hope and a haven for the poor, vulnerable and neglected. For this reason, the temporary closure of the cathedral and suspension of Mass at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020 came as a shock to many.

"The fact that Myeongdong Bab-jib is run at Myeongdong Cathedral is very symbolic and speaks for where the Korean Catholic aims to go," explained Fr. Paik on the location of the soup kitchen.

According to the volunteers, an eight-hour day of preparing and serving free food here is tiring work, and can take up to 27,000 steps. However, as laborious as it is, they find the activity meaningful.

"(As much as we love this place) we count for the day that we shut down our bab-jip. We hope no one would go hungry to have to come here," a volunteer said.