Schools In Korea Turn To Robot Chefs—It's Not Just About Going High-Tech

Schools in South Korea have started incorporating robot chefs in their kitchens. These advanced machines handle most of the cooking process to prepare student meals. It's not surprising to see this kind of upgrade now that we live in a modern world.

However, the trend isn't just because schools want to embrace technology. They are currently facing a more serious matter that led them to put these cooking robots to the test. What is it, you may ask? Continue reading to gain a better understanding of what's happening.

Schools in South Korea Embrace Robot Chefs

While still in the trial stage, some Korean schools have begun including cooking machines in their kitchens. Soonggok Middle School in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, in particular, has been using four robots since 2023. They are the first in the country to adopt these inventions designed to carry out culinary tasks.

Of those four, two handle stir-frying, one for frying, and another one for making soup. Each is about three meters tall, weighs 20 kilograms, and can last up to five years. They can replicate human actions when set in manual and cook around 100 recipes.

According to The Korea Herald, school nutritionist Kim HyeYoung said during a press tour in late 2023, “There’s a difference in the quality of taste as cooking robots bring consistency and efficiency to the cooking process.” She added that they felt satisfied since they no longer needed to stand before a fire for hours to cook meals. Kim also mentioned that the robots helped improve the work environment of the school cafeteria workers. Thus, she highly recommends that other schools begin using them.

The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) announced on March 9 that several education offices are considering adopting robotic cooking arms and automated fryers. These include offices in Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daegu, Jeju Island, Gyeonggi Province, and Gangwon. For example, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has launched the Gyeonggi-style cooking robot. The machine specializes in frying, stir-frying, and making soup and stew.

On May 17, the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education revealed its KRW 700 million (approximately USD 510,000) investment in robot chefs at three schools in South Korea. Such establishments include Nonhyeon Middle School, Bugwang High School, and Garim High School. The plan came after the Inhwa Girls' Middle School became the first school to receive a multifunctional cooking system last year.

Why Robot Chefs Are Being Incorporated in School Cafeterias in South Korea