On April 8, the International Kitchen (W6) was finally reopened after an 11-day temporary closure for reconstruction. Much as the majority of students have anticipated, the kitchen was thoroughly refurbished, with all obsolete appliances such as stoves, sinks, and cabinets replaced with new and modern ones. Rice cookers and microwaves previously broken or badly damaged have also been displaced. Wooden lockers in the dining room have been upgraded, allowing more space for storage and more shelves to accommodate allocation among users of the same locker. In addition, disinfectants were sprayed to ensure that the kitchen would be in its cleanest and healthiest condition upon reopening.

Along with these notable efforts to better provide a convenient campus life for foreign students, new regulations will need to be reinforced to raise the sense of responsibility among all kitchen users. Students who wish to use the kitchen on a regular basis are required to apply for membership and submit a 10,000 Korean Won membership fee to the International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS) Team (located on the 1st Floor of the W2-1 Building). Pictures of official members will be displayed inside the kitchen to avoid any discrepancy. All facilities and utensils have been allocated based upon the number of countries and the number of students per country that signed up. Kitchen members will also be asked to team up and take turns cleaning the kitchen every weekend. Non-member students who wish to gain access to the kitchen or any equipment must make an online reservation using KAIST Unified Reservation Service system when the reservation service for the kitchen becomes available on the site. Only when your reservation has been approved will you be able to utilize the kitchen.

For any inquiries, contact Talha Liaqat (talha@kaist.ac.kr) or visit the KAIST International Kitchen Users Facebook page for all the latest updates.