Single minded: forget marriage, South Koreans aren’t even dating

As the population ages, the only thing being given birth to are fears of ‘natural extinction’

Reading Time:5 minutes

A bride yawns during a mass wedding held in Gapyeong, South Korea, in August. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 20 Jan 2019Updated: 6:59pm, 25 Jan 2019

It’s the dreaded question single South Koreans find themselves fielding from relatives, friends, colleagues and even strangers on a regular basis: “When are you getting married?”.

“My parents pressure me [about marriage] whenever I visit them,” said one 34-year-old man living in Seoul. “They joke about it at first, but they get really serious by the end of our conversation.”

A 32-year-old female freelancer also based in the capital tells a similar story. “When I meet people for the first time, they ask me why I’m not married. It’s especially common for older Koreans to ask these questions,” she said, adding that the younger generation tends to find such queries rude and unnecessary.

Yet despite this near-constant push to marry, an increasing number of South Koreans are forgoing weddings altogether. In fact, many don’t even date any more.

A woman takes a selfie in Seoul. Photo: AFP

A survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs published in early January found that as of 2012, the latest year for which figures are available, less than 40 per cent of 20- to 44-year-olds were actively dating. The proportion in traditional marriages is even lower.

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