February Magazine from Funday 📢 IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
✍️ COLUMN: Dating Culture in Korea: Situationships, Matchmaking and Marriage
🇰🇷 LANGUAGE: Dating Slang You've NEVER Heard Before
💘 EVENT: Create a Romantic Date Course and Win Prizes! |
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Happy 2025, everyone! Funday is back with our newest newsletter dedicated to love and the unique culture connected to its expression in Korea.
It’s Valentine’s month, after all! ;) |
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💘 Dating Culture in Korea: Situationships, Matchmaking and Marriage |
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Have you ever felt extremely lonely just walking the streets of Korea and realising all you could see were couples? Well, you’re not alone!
The societal pressure to date in Korea continues to stay at a constant high.
If Koreans have a single friend, they will most likely try to set up a 소개팅 (lit. translation – meeting by introduction), or a blind date, with someone they heard was also single.
Then, if the two introduced like each other, they hope for an 애프터 (from the English word “after”) – a second date held in more informal settings.
If the set up is successful, the matchmaker will most likely get treated to a dinner or even receive a good outfit to attend the couple's wedding.
But, to reach the stage of the wedding, Koreans will think a lot and weigh all the pros and cons. Why is that, and what do they think so deeply about?
Every year, a popular Korean marriage matchmaking service 1듀오 conducts a statistical research on marriage requirements among people between 25 and 44 years old residing in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do.
Here is what 2024’s research says about an ideal Korean husband and an ideal Korean wife:
(Click here to read the rest in the Funday Magazine)
People may also meet in school or at work whilst not intending to start a relationship – and many wind up in a 썸 (from the English word “something”) – a so-called situationship or just a stage elevated over friendship but not yet clearly stated as romantic. For many, 썸 serves as a bridge into dating, but some end up as part of another's fish tank... Can't understand what we mean? Keep reading!
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🍫 Valentine's Day in Korea |
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To the Western world, Valentine’s Day is famous for being a holiday where partners prepare gifts for each other and go on special dates – the more romantic, the better. February 14 is a big deal – you wouldn’t want to spend it with someone you don’t care about!
However, to Koreans, a relationship anniversary (100 days, 200 days, etc.) would be more important and grand than Valentine’s day. In Korea, February 14 is only a cute little day on which women give chocolate to their beloved men, who then return the favor on April 14 – the White day*. Just like the Peppero day on 11.11, it’s rather a commercial celebration of chocolate with a “give-this-to-your-partner” cherry on top.
If you want to love like Koreans, make each big anniversary special!
Go on unique dates, get a cake decorated with illustrated versions of you and your partner, show your love off on social media. You may also surprise Koreans with your unexpected knowledge of dating slang...
*Even if what you usually get for these holidays is chocolate, Funday has prepared something even better for you guys! Keep reading to find out about a special spring event.
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😘 Korean Terms Related to Dating, the Happy and the Sad! |
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👫 오늘부터 1일이다 – “starting from today, it’s our first day” is a phrase you may hear after a love confession – a statement of a beginning of a relationship. Once you hear it, you may start counting days until your 100th anniversary.
🐠 어장 – "fish tank" or "fishing pond." In slang, it refers to a situation where someone is keeping multiple romantic interests "on standby" or "in their net" without fully committing to any of them. It’s like fishing - keeping the "fish" around but not really deciding which one to focus on.
🎣 See also: 어장관리 (“managing the fish tank”) - commonly used to describe people who keep others as "options" while avoiding serious relationships, similar to leading someone on.
Ex) 지민은 여러 사람과 계속 연락을 하면서 어장을 만들고 있어요. / Jimin is keeping multiple people in contact and creating a fish tank.
👻 잠수이별 – a "ghosting" breakup, ending a relationship by completely cutting off contact, often without any explanation, similar to "disappearing underwater" (잠수 = diving/submerging).
Ex) 지수는 잠수 이별을 해서, 연락이 끊어진 지 벌써 한 달이 됐어요. / Jisu ghosted me, and it's already been a month since we lost contact.
(Click here to read the rest in the Funday Magazine)
Instead of silently diving out of a relationship, let's dive into the romantic mood of spring with a new Funday event! |
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Romantic Date Course Contest |
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It is the season of love - and what other country does love better than Korea? Countless pop-ups, themed cafes, couple experiences and 1+1 chocolate deals in every convenience store you see... And yet, so many lovers struggle with choosing what to do for their next date. So, what would be a great way to spend quality time with a partner? Here comes your cue!
Create a romantic date course on fundaykorea.com, help lovers all over the country to refresh their dating routine, and get money to make that plan come true!
Click "Apply Now" to read more about the event 💕
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They say, love is like a box of chocolates... or was it "life"?
Anyways! You really never know what you're gonna get.
And if you're waiting for that "오늘부터 1일이다", we hope you hear it today!
Happy Valentine's Month, and until next time
Funday Korea team
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