The Korean military offers several ready-to-eat meals... but they've long been criticized for lacking variety and being rather bland.
But there's some good news for the troops as the military's top brass have decided to spruce up the menu.
Laah Hyun-kyung reports.
In the U.S.,… military ration packs used to be called "meals ready to expel" instead of "meals ready to eat."
And things haven't been much different in Korea.
The history of the Korean ration pack goes back to the 1960s,… when Korea sent more than three-hundred-thousand troops to fight in the Vietnam War.
Since then, the quality and variety of the meals has come a long way.
Currently, the Korean Army has four types of ration packs for its soldiers, categorized by the way the meals are made.
"The most popular type these days is this one. It has a flameless heater inside to warm-up the main meal without the need for fire or water. All you need to do is pull this string and wait a couple of minutes... then voila, it's ready to go."
But there's always room for improvement.
For one, many servicemen point to a lack of variety in the meals.
Although there are eleven main dishes right now, the soldiers say some of them are very similar to each other and there's no option for vegetarians.
But all that's about to change.
The military says it's planning to expand the options... by increasing the number of dishes to 36, including curry and Korea's iconic bibimbap.
They will also bring in existing outdoor camping products that are more affordable than packs currently used in the military.
"We plan to incorporate civil products so soldiers can use them immediately and also save the state budget by replacing the stockpiles."
The military will also lighten the weight of the packages.
Officials hope these efforts will boost soldiers' morale and help them better protect the country.
Laah Hyun-kyung, Arirang News.
