Nearly 3,300 people looking for love apply for blind date event hosted by Seoul gov't
Published: 14 Nov. 2024, 16:46
Updated: 14 Nov. 2024, 16:48
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![People enjoy a yacht ride near Sebitseom, a cultural complex on the Han River, at Banpo Hangang Park in southern Seoul on Feb. 29, 2022. [WOO SANG-JO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/11/14/3eed16ba-e717-4310-af98-59323ca20c40.jpg)
People enjoy a yacht ride near Sebitseom, a cultural complex on the Han River, at Banpo Hangang Park in southern Seoul on Feb. 29, 2022. [WOO SANG-JO]
Nearly 3,300 Seoulites applied for a mass blind date event hosted by the city government.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday announced that 3,286 people signed up for the upcoming matchmaking event, set to take place on Nov. 23 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sebitseom, a cultural complex on the Han River, located at Banpo Hangang Park in southern Seoul.
The city will select 100 participants — 50 men and 50 women — to join the event, which will feature yacht tours on the Han River, recreational activities and one-on-one chat sessions.
The ratio of male to female applicants was almost equal, at 51 percent men and 49 percent women. By age group, 26 percent of applicants were between 25 and 29, 45 percent were between 30 and 34, and 29 percent were between 35 and 39.
The applicants' occupations were diverse, ranging from elementary school teachers and nurses to IT office workers and police officers.
![Participants of a dating program dubbed “Naneun Jeollo,″ hosted by the Korean Buddhist Foundation for Social Welfare and the Ministry of Health and Welfare play rock, paper, scissors at Naksan Temple in Yangyang County, Gangwon, on Aug. 9. [PARK SANG-MOON]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/11/14/1e967271-4a34-494d-88c1-7fb7f0e0da13.jpg)
Participants of a dating program dubbed “Naneun Jeollo,″ hosted by the Korean Buddhist Foundation for Social Welfare and the Ministry of Health and Welfare play rock, paper, scissors at Naksan Temple in Yangyang County, Gangwon, on Aug. 9. [PARK SANG-MOON]
The city government believes the high number of applicants is due to the thorough verification of participants’ profiles and the romantic activities planned along the Han River.
According to the city government, one applicant mentioned in their application that they “felt reassured signing up” because the participants’ identities were verified.
To select participants, the city government will go through legal documents, including resident registration, proof of marital status, employment certificates and records of any sex crimes. Selected participants will be notified through text message on Friday.
By the end of the program, participants will be asked to list their top three date choices. The final matches will be announced to each individual the following day.
"Seeing the overwhelming number of applications for the program, we realize how challenging it is for many single men and women to meet partners,” Kim Sun-soon, head of the city government’s Women and Family Policy Affairs Office, said in a press release, adding that she hopes many couples will form through the event.
The upcoming program follows a similar plan called "Seoul-ting," proposed last year as part of efforts to address the city’s low birthrate.
However, the plan, which was allocated with a budget of 80 million won ($57,000), was scrapped after criticism that it failed to address the underlying causes of the low birthrate, such as high housing costs and poor work-life balance.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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