Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
District in Busan offers 1 mil. won just for starting romantic relationship through event
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By Jung Min-ho
As the central and local governments across Korea are experimenting with new policy ideas to encourage couples to get married and have babies to boost the country’s persistently low birthrate, one district office in Busan is offering 1 million won ($720) just for initiating a romantic relationship through its matchmaking event.
According to the southern port city’s Saha District Office on Wednesday, the supplementary budget bill for its mass blind-dating event for “single Korean and foreign men and women” was passed by the district council recently.
The event, scheduled for October, is intended for young people, aged 23 and 43, who live or work in the district.
If a man and a woman decide to start a romantic relationship after the event, 1 million won will be given to the couple. If they hold a “sang-gyeon-rye,” or a meeting of family members (arranged typically before the wedding), the couple will be offered an additional 2 million won. If they get married, another big bonus of 20 million won will be awarded.
The district office said it will provide additional support for their housing for up to five years.
Specific rules and the scale of the event have not been revealed yet. Applicants will be reviewed based on applications and interviews to be selected as participants. If this year’s event succeeds in attracting attention and yielding positive results, the office said it would make it an annual event with more non-Korean participants.