Regional governments set up mass blind dates, offer subsidies for singles to start romantic relationships
As South Korea suffers from record-low birth rates, population decline and aging, regional governments across the country are playing matchmakers for young people who have become increasingly more reluctant to tie the knot.
Now, stepped-up efforts include covering dating costs and potentially even subsidizing part of the wedding fees for matched couples.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday the new season of its matchmaking program to get singles into romantic relationships, set to take place in a popular dating spot of Banpo Hangang Park.
The "Seolem, in Hangang Season 2" event will be held at 4 p.m. on June 21 on Saebit Island, sponsored by Shinhan Card. It will feature recreational activities such as boat rides, one-on-one conversations, games and dating advice sessions.
Unmarried Seoul residents born between 1980 and 2000 are eligible to register until 6 p.m. on June 9. Fifty men and 50 women will be chosen for the event. A successful match will be notified a day after the event, and the couples will receive coupons for dating expenses, totaling 10 million won ($7,188), which will be evenly distributed to all matched couples.
Matchmaking, a governmental project
The Seoul government said in December that the matchmaking project is a key project to boost the chronically low birth rate here. When the program was first held in November, city officials said that it was not an official city project.
South Korea's total fertility rate — the number of children a woman is expected to have in her life — was 0.75 in 2024. It marked a slight rebound from 0.72 in 2023, but was still the lowest among OECD nations.
About 26.6 percent of single women and 18 percent of single men have no intent to get married, according to a April survey by the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association.
To address the issue, Incheon — the third most populous city in South Korea — announced in March that it will host five matchmaking events from June to November. Each event will consist of two parts, and the city plans to invite 100 participants born between 1986 and 2001.
As in the case of Seoul, the matched couples will be presented with dating coupons, and the authorities are considering additional subsidies for wedding costs if the couples plan to tie the knot.
Saha-gu district of Busan, the nation's second most-populated city, conducted the second edition of its matchmaking program on May 17, in which 20 participants gathered in a park for picnics and other recreational activities. Four couples were matched up and received 500,000-won cash subsidies to spend on their budding relationship.
The first two editions of the six-part program by Saha-gu resulted in 12 matched couples. The third leg of the event will be held June 21.
Young people have responded positively toward the state-run matchmaking programs, as 3,286 people applied to participate in the first season 1 of Seoul's "Seolem, in Hangang" program last year, and 2,387 people applied for one held on Valentine's Day this year.
Among the most commonly cited reasons for participating were: "My job and my age limit dating opportunities," and "I can trust (the program) since Seoul checks the backgrounds of applicants."
The city requires applicants to submit documents verifying their vocation and marital status, while checking the system to ensure that no convicted sex criminals enter the event.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
