South Korea Hosts Mass Blind-Dating Event As Enthusiasm Towards Parenthood Nosedives

100 South Koreans, in their 20s and 30s, gathered at a hotel near the capital Seoul dressed in their best, hoping to find love. They were participants at a mass blind-dating event in Seongnam city, as the local government tries to reverse a falling birth rate in the country.

The dozens of men and women sat quietly next one another until a relationship coach kick started the event. The city appeared determined to arrange matches, preparing red wine, free make-up services and even background checks for the participants.

After five rounds of events this year, 198 singles among 460 left the event as “couples”, agreeing to exchange contacts with their partners, the city said. Lee Yu-mi, 36, said she had no idea the event would be this competitive. She had to apply three times to finally get a spot.

Seoul had considered a similar event but had to put the plan on hold after facing criticism that it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money that failed to tackle the reasons behind people opting not to marry and have babies – most notably the high costs of education and housing.

“I Don’t Understand People Complaining Over This”

Jung Jae-hoon of Seoul Women’s University said it was “nonsense” to expect these events to lead to highest birth rates. But despite criticism, thousands of people have signed up for the mass blind-dating events hosted by Seongnam city.

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin said spreading positive views on marriage can subsequently help improve the concerning birth rates in the country, stressing the events are just one of many policies the city has introduced to reverse the falling rates.

Hwang Da-bin, a participant in a September event, said “I don’t understand people complaining over this,” adding the event saved him the cost of signing up for professional dating agencies or joining other social events. He said South Korea is facing a “real demographic crisis”.

The popularity of marriage and enthusiasm towards parenthood has nosedived in South Korea. The country’s fertility rate dropped to a record low of 0.78 last year. The number is far below 1.3 in Japan and 1.66 in the United States in 2021.