[Father Kim Ha-jong's Instagram]
[Father Kim Ha-jong's Instagram]

A priest who runs a free meal service for the homeless and vulnerable is facing a wave of mocking online comments after serving donated cake alongside rice, drawing widespread public outrage.

On Monday, screenshots of malicious comments left on the Instagram account of Father Kim Ha-jong (Vincenzo Bordo), an Italian-born priest who runs the social welfare foundation Anna's House in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, circulated widely across online communities and social media.

On June 13, Father Kim posted on his Instagram that "birthdays come once a year, but at Anna's House, every day is a birthday," adding that a local bakery consistently donates cakes, allowing guests to "share sweet birthday cake and enjoy happy moments together, even on ordinary days."

He went on to say he was "sincerely grateful to the bakery owners who donated delicious cake again today," and uploaded a video showing the cake being served.

The video showed donated cake placed on meal trays already filled with steamed white rice, braised chicken, kimchi, acorn jelly and other banchan.

Some users who saw the image of cake sitting on top of rice left mocking comments, including "Who puts cake on top of rice," "Are you making chocolate rice," "My blood pressure is rising," "Is this 'cake-bap' (cake + rice)?" and other crude remarks.

A user who shared the screenshots expressed dismay, saying malicious comments were flooding the video of a priest who provides free meals.

The user said Instagram "seems filled with hatred, jealousy and contempt," adding that the priest had been running a free meal service for decades and was being criticized simply for "putting cake on top of rice." "I can't understand why people try to make each other's lives so miserable," the user wrote. "I hope the world becomes a little warmer."

Many other users pushed back against the critics, posting comments such as "Is that something you say to a person who has spent their whole life in service," "Have you ever once volunteered for those in need," "Can't you see the priest's heart in wanting to give even one more thing to eat," and "How much must this hurt someone who does such good work."

Father Kim arrived in South Korea in 1991 to begin his pastoral ministry. He later founded Anna's House to address the surge in homelessness — including food, clothing and shelter needs — that followed the 1997-98 IMF financial crisis. The foundation currently operates a free meal service and a self-sufficiency center for the homeless, as well as a shelter for runaway youth. In recognition of his contributions, Father Kim received South Korean citizenship through special naturalization in 2015 and the Camellia Medal of the Order of Civil Merit in 2019. His Korean name, Kim Ha-jong, was chosen to incorporate the surname of the martyr Father Andrew Kim Tae-gon and to carry the meaning "servant of God."

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