South Korean city becomes 'matchmaker' to improve birth rate

Seongnam City Mayor Shin Sang-jin speaks at a dating event hosted by the city government on November 19.

For those in attendance, in their 20s and 30s, the hope is to find love. For its part, the Seongnam government hopes that these meetings will provide young people with the opportunity to start families, and that new citizens will be born.

As South Korea's birth rate drops to a record low of 0.78 babies per woman in 2022, the city of Seongnam has decided to act as a matchmaker by holding matchmaking events.

The city government selected the venue, prepared wine, chocolates, games, even provided free makeup for men and women, and provided background checks for them.

Civil servant Lee Yu-mi, 36, said she had to apply three times to get a spot, according to Reuters on November 27.

After five events this year, 198 of the 460 people left the event in a "couple" state, agreeing to exchange contact information with each other.

Hwang Da-bin, who attended the event in September, said the local government's support allowed him to save on expenses in case he had to attend social events or register to find a partner through matchmaking agencies.

The South Korean capital Seoul had planned to hold a similar event but failed to do so due to public opposition. Opponents say such events are a waste of taxpayers’ money and do not address the reasons why many people are reluctant to get married and have children, such as the sky-high cost of housing and education .

Despite the criticism, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin said it is the government's job to spread positive views on marriage, and create an environment that allows people of marriageable age to look for future partners.

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