Men and women who have experienced divorce each have differing interpretations of physical intimacy in their new relationship, a joint survey by local matchmaking agencies showed Monday.

The companies Only U and Bien-Alle conducted a survey of 516 men and women who wish to get remarried to ask about physical contact with romantic connotations with their new romantic partners. The survey generally showed that female respondents attribute slightly more meaning to physical intimacy than male respondents do.

When asked "what it means to have physical intimacy in the early stages of a new relationship," the No. 1 answer for men at 29.1 percent was that it "results in the couples getting closer," while 29.8 percent of women thought it was "an expression of affection."

Asked about when they should start getting intimate through physical touch, 34.1 percent said "when speaking to each other in a non-formal way," followed by 33.3 percent saying "when they have a mental connection." For women, 38 percent picked "when they have a mental connection," while 28.3 percent said "when speaking to each other in a non-formal way."

The survey also showed that men and women have different fears on physical intimacy. The leading answer for men in the "biggest fear involving physical intimacy," picked by 33.7 percent of the respondents, was "getting shot down."

But for women, 34.1 percent said they feared "they might look easy."

"Rushing forward with physical intimacy, without considering the other person, could possibly lead to unwanted misunderstandings (between partners), so it is recommended you take a wiser approach," said Son Dong-gyu, the head of Only You.