Outside a free meal distribution center near Seoul Station, a fight broke out during a recent afternoon. “You just cut in line,” accused one elderly man. The other man, similarly aged, denied the accusation, claiming he was there first. Then, without warning, fists flew and the squabble turned into a brawl. Those standing nearby, however, barely seemed concerned. They were more preoccupied with making sure the backpacks they had placed on the pavement were not mixed up or pushed aside. Each one marked its owner’s place in line to receive a free meal. Here, a volunteer group called Truly Good Friends hands out 200 meals. Competition for the meals, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, is fierce, in part because the food is unusually generous: grilled short rib patties, stir-fried kimchi, Korean chive pancakes and purple rice. The trail of backpacks already stretched to the end of the street, even though the meal service was still three hours away. Here, cutting in line is treated as practically a felony. When an elderly woman tried to slip into the line, she was immediately m
