Soup Kitchen Priest Faces Online 'Hate Comments' for Serving Cake on Rice, Receives Support

Father Kim Ha-jong, an Italian-born priest renowned for providing free meals to the homeless and vulnerable at 'Anna's House' in Seongnam, South Korea, has become the target of online backlash after sharing a video of cake being served alongside rice during a meal service. The video, posted on Instagram on May 13, showed Father Kim and volunteers distributing meals, including a slice of cake placed atop the white rice due to space constraints on the serving trays.

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Because bakeries consistently donate cakes, our friends can share happy times while eating sweet birthday cakes even when it's not a special day.

Father Kim explained in the post that the cakes were consistently donated by local bakeries, allowing the residents to enjoy a sweet treat not just on special occasions but regularly. He expressed gratitude to the bakery owners for their continuous support. Father Kim, whose original name is Vincenzo Bordo, came to Korea in 1990 and adopted the Korean name Kim Ha-jong, inspired by Saint Andrew Kim Taegon. He has been dedicated to serving the underprivileged since 1998 through 'Anna's House,' an organization whose name signifies 'a house to embrace, share, and rely on.'

Despite the charitable nature of the act, some internet users harshly criticized the practice of placing cake on rice, deeming it inappropriate and disrespectful. Comments such as "Putting cake on rice crossed the line," "Don't put cake on rice," and "Who would eat cake with rice?" flooded the post, some containing profanity. These criticisms focused solely on the presentation of the food, ignoring the context of the meal service.

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People sitting in their rooms, only watching videos and leaving malicious comments without understanding the context, are frustrating.

However, the criticism was met with a strong wave of support for Father Kim and his work. Many netizens defended the priest, calling out the negativity of the "keyboard warriors" who judged without understanding the situation. Comments like "I worry that you might be bothered by the negative comments from some people whose hearts are twisted" and "Thank you to the bakery owners, and thank you to the priest and volunteers working hard for the homeless" poured in. Several individuals also shared that they were inspired to start regular donations to 'Anna's House' after learning about the organization through this incident.

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I worry that you might be bothered by the negative comments from some people whose hearts are twisted.