Eunhasu Dining Hall at CBNU suspended operations indefinitely on July 15 due to safety concerns stemming from aging facilities. The Co-op, Consumer Cooperative, announced an extension of the closure on Aug. 21 and requested support from university administration. Relevant departments are currently discussing plans to resume operations.

  Completed 41 years ago, the Eunhasu Dining Hall has suffered from recurring breakdowns due to the deterioration of the building and its equipment. In May, dinner service was halted due to malfunctions in the dishwasher and boiler, followed by a temporary suspension of both lunch and dinner services to replace the boiler. On July 13, the Eunhasu Dining Hall closed again due to safety issues—specifically, leaks caused by the monsoon season and a carbon monoxide leak resulting from a malfunctioning exhaust and ventilation system.

  The primary reason for the prolonged closure is a lack of funds for renovation. According to a Co-op official, Eunhasu Dining Hall has accumulated a deficit of approximately 770 million KRW over the past five years. Although about 47 million KRW was invested in facilities and 45 million KRW in fixtures and equipment over the last three years, fixed costs remain high due to factors such as aging heating and cooling systems, heat loss inherent to the single-story structure, and the lack of a city gas connection.

  The Co-op also announced that it had spent approximately 800 million KRW during the same period to improve campus amenities, such as renovating on-campus stores and cafes. The Co-op officially explained that, given the current financial situation, it is difficult to secure the roughly 200 million KRW needed to renovate the Eunhasu Dinning Hall.

  To ease overcrowding during this second semester, the Co-op has increased the meal capacity at both Han-bit Restaurant and Byeol-bit Restaurant. The Co-op now increasing the number of people served meals to an additional 100 and extended their closing hours  from 2:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. Also, kitchen staff and part-time workers of the Eunhasu Dining Hall have also been assigned to the Han-bit Restaurant and Byeol-bit Restaurant to accelerate food preparation. Measures such as providing information on peak hours, stationing staff inside the cafeterias, and directly serving customers dishes that take a long time to plate are currently in place. A new Gukbap (rice soup) station has been set up at Han-bit Restaurant, and the daily supply of meal-replacement items—such as lunch boxes, sandwiches, and Gimbap—at the on-campus “Coop-sket” convenience store has more than tripled compared to the previous semester.

  Meanwhile, the Co-op has requested support from university administration to resume operations at the Eunhasu Dining Hall and devising alternatives. Relevant departments are currently discussing a course of action, taking factors such as the budget and members of CBNU welfare into account. A specific date for resuming operations has not yet been set. The Co-op also plans to open a poke station in mid-Oct. to offer a wider range of dinning options.