1 of 9 | South Korean social media influencers met and mingled at a preview of a matchmaking event for singles in Seoul held on Valentine’s Day. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (UPI) — On an unseasonably warm Friday evening, dozens of Seoul singles met, mingled and played icebreaker games hoping to make a Valentine’s Day love connection in a fast-paced, work-driven city where dating is notoriously difficult.
Speed-dating events are not new in South Korea, but this one — held by the Seoul Metropolitan Government — has an underlying sense of urgency, as officials are trying to not only help couples find romance but also address the demographic crisis of the world’s lowest birth rate.
“There are so few opportunities for young men and women to meet,” Park Sookhee, director of Seoul’s Low Birth Rate Countermeasures Division, told UPI. “We also don’t have a good work-life balance [in South Korea] for couples so that they can raise children and make a living with them.”
The event, called “Exciting Art Night,” invited 50 men and 50 women ranging from 25 to 45 years old to a specially designed multi-level space in the tony neighborhood of Hannam-dong. Art served as the theme, with participants viewing paintings and strolling through installation environments as prompts for discussion.
Dinner and champagne were served, while games such as a love-themed version of Bingo attempted to keep conversations flowing. One icebreaker, inspired by performance artist Marina Abramovic, had rotating pairs of singles stare silently into each other’s eyes for 10 seconds at a time, eliciting uncomfortable smiles and giggles.
“People don’t get a lot of eye contact because they are always looking at their phones,” event director and curator Kim Chan-yong said. “The main purpose of this art-based setting is to inspire conversations, to make meaningful connections.”
Social media Influencer Min Ji-ah, 39, who was part of a small group that previewed the event and spoke with media and officials afterward, said a dating experience focused on sharing reactions to art and culture was a novel way to expand her social circle.
“Especially as you grow older, you have fewer opportunities to meet new people,” she said. “You have the same environments, same workplaces, same tastes.”
“People don’t have children anymore because living conditions are very hard for them,” she added. “So I think having this proactive kind of measure done by the government could be very effective.”
South Korea has long struggled with a declining birth rate as many young people opt to delay or forgo marriage and parenthood due to factors ranging from soaring housing costs to gender inequality in the workplace.
The country finished 2023 with a record-low fertility rate of 0.72 — meaning that for every 100 women, just 72 babies are expected to be born over their lifetimes. That mark was by far the lowest in the world, less than half the average rate of the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
In response, the government has introduced various policies to encourage marriage and support child-rearing, including financial incentives for new parents and expanded parental leave and childcare assistance. A recent plan even includes reduced highway tolls for families with three or more children and parking discounts at airports and cultural venues.
On a rare positive note, a slight uptick is expected in 2024’s birth rate, with estimates reaching 0.75 — still far below the 2.1 rate considered necessary to keep a population from declining.
The problem starts at a basic level with a lack of dating, the Valentine’s Day organizers say. Hanwha Insurance, which sponsored the event, commissioned a recent survey that found 54% of unmarried people aged 25-39 in Seoul were not in a relationship.
“There have to be political and policy initiatives for addressing these [low birth rate] challenges,” Seoul’s Park said. “And these kinds of matchmaking events can be part of the solution at a very fundamental level.”
Park said that a strong demand to participate in the Valentine’s Day event shows that a desire to date exists, with some 2,356 people applying for the final 100 spots.
Seoul is planning to hold a total of four matchmaking events in 2025, with a rotating variety of themes. Park added that after an event held in November, 25 of the 50 potential couples ended up going out on dates.
On Friday, each participant listed their top three choices among the singles they met that evening. They will be notified of any matches the next day, and organizers will provide them vouchers and free passes to museums that they can use on a follow-up date.
“We want to give comfort to the younger generation because they have so much harshness in their lives,” Kim, the curator, said.
