On the 23rd, it emerged that people were leaving malicious comments on the social media (SNS) account of the priest who runs "Anna's House," a free meal service for people experiencing homelessness and vulnerable groups, claiming that during meal service cake was placed on top of the rice.
The post drawing the malicious comments was uploaded on the 13th by Priest Kim Ha-jong (69; Vincenzo Bordo), who runs Anna's House. It says that a bakery has been steadily donating cakes, allowing them to share cake, and expresses thanks for the support.
The video posted with the message shows the meal service process of placing a slice of cake on top of rice on a cafeteria tray. It was provided to be eaten along with dakbokkeumtang, kimchi, acorn jelly, and egg soup.
In response, some internet users left malicious comments, saying, "Who puts cake on top of rice?" Many mocking comments included, "Cake on rice… it's not even dog food," "My blood pressure is rising, why put it on the rice…," and "What kind of combo is rice and cake? Next you'll put it in kimchi-jjigae (Kimchi stew)."
After the situation became known through online communities, many comments criticized the malicious posts and voiced support for Priest Kim. One internet user wrote, "Through the cake incident, I learned about Anna's House and started a regular donation. I hope every day will be like a blessing for the priest and all the volunteers."
Priest Kim came to Korea in 1991 and continued pastoral work, and in 1998 founded Anna's House to help the surge in people experiencing homelessness after the IMF foreign exchange crisis. The free meal service that began operating afterward recorded 3.32 million meals served through last year.
For these contributions, Priest Kim was selected for special naturalization in 2015 and obtained South Korean nationality, and in 2019 received the Order of Civil Merit, Camellia Medal.