'Who would want to work here?': Scientists at Nobel-aspirant institute blast poor cafeteria food

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS), a state-run facility aimed at producing Nobel-caliber research, is facing a backlash after researchers exposed poor-quality cafeteria meals they say hurt their productivity. Established in 2011 and modeled after Germany's Max Planck Institute, the IBS has set its sights on world-class research. However, a viral photograph of a 5,000 won ($3.30) lunch featuring yellowed rice, pickled radish and three pieces of fish sausage revealed a stark disconnect between the institute's lofty ambitions and its basic administrative support. Koo Bon-kyoung, director of the IBS Center for Genome Engineering, publicly criticized the meals on Facebook last month. Koo said the poor food disrupts their work and drives researchers outside the institute, where a single lunch easily costs more than 10,000 won. "The issue with the cafeteria at the IBS headquarters is no longer a simple welfare complaint," Koo said. "This is a matter of the research environment, a matter of productivity and a matter of the community." While scientists engage in painstaking work, many are left

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