5+ Must-Know Facts About Korean Dating Culture
Dating seems too perfect in Korean dramas, but is it the same in real life too? In this article, you will find out all about the Korean dating culture and some most prominent things that Korean couples do. So let's get started!
Dating In Korean Culture
Dating in Korean culture is fun, but it might come with certain surprises and challenges if you are a foreigner. Korean culture is quite distinct from American or British culture. This is because Korean people have their own traditions when it comes to dating and their own likeness etc. We're not telling you this about Korean dating culture to scare you, but, instead, to prepare you about what to do and what not to do in a relationship with a Korean person. Without further ado, let's get started!
How Does It Start?
Dating in South Korea is the same as in any other country. Korean people might be dating their classmates or colleagues. It could even be a guy who held them in the bank. Or maybe a girl whose dog needed help. Or maybe a girl who was mean to them. It's all about fate.
But a very general way of dating in south Korea happens through a blind date. If there's a single friend among a group of people who are engaged already, they would want them to mingle as well. They would always try to set them up with other people. For this reason, they would send them on a lot of dates. And those dates are blind dates which means that they have not seen each other before.
Sounds scary, right? When not in South Korea since they are used to it. Most of the time in South Korea, people are getting bored and they do not have a potential partner, they might set up a blind date. It's not a surety that they are going to date the person that they had a blind date with. But it is always worth a try.
How Long Does It Take?
Dating in Korea is very easy. South Korean people tend to date a lot. You will find out about the dating habits of a South Korean individual rather quickly. It does not take long for a South Korean person to date another person. Right after a few meetings, the South Korean people announce that they are dating.
However, it might take you months before your first date but once you reach there, it's all a piece of cake!
Do The Family Members Know?
There are different types of Korean parents and families in South Korea. Despite so much advancement in the country, many people tend to have orthodox and conventional ideas about the marriage of their child.
They don't necessarily believe in dating and instead want to get their children into an arranged marriage. This may sound absurd to most of you but many Korean people are still getting married with the help of suitors.
With that being said, these are not a lot in number. Most of the parents in South Korea have been modernized. They know that the youth these days likes to get married once they are sure of each other.
Matching Outfits

Matching the outfits of the people that you're dating is quite common in South Korea. Most girlfriends want their boyfriend to match their clothes with them. This is also why you see so many pictures on Pinterest in which the girlfriend and boyfriend are matching each other.
Having similar/matching clothes is like a semi-flex on other people that we are dating and this is my person. This is also for some aesthetic reasons since it might look cool and cute.
Just the role of social media is huge in South Korea, therefore they always post each other's pictures online. The couple who dresses up the best often gets most of them. Getting more likes urges them to match again and as it goes on.
Even if someone doesn't post most people just do it for themselves. They like their person to look like them and therefore they match with each other. It could be matching the color or the pattern of the dress like checks, or even the couple shoes/couple shirts, etc, but there is always something.
This is not as much of a phenomenon in western countries. If nothing else, every couple will get matching rings just to show that they belong to each other.
What About Public Displays Of Affection?
Korean people do not mind showing affection in front of other people. Korean people might give a peck on the cheek or hug their partner in front of other people. But when it comes to kissing or making out they might not do it in public. That is not necessarily because they are shy. The main reason behind this is that they respect the privacy of other people.
They knew that there could be people around them who might not want to look at that display of intimacy. There could be an older woman or man, who is just throwing a fit saying "go get a room" or something similar.
To avoid getting embarrassed in the public and invading the privacy of others, they would try to keep their intimate relations private. They might even try to find a corner if they want to make out that bad but they would never do that in public. At least not in front of an extremely old or young generation.
People generally show certain hand gestures like finger heart or even arm heart if they are overwhelmed by emotions for their partner. That is quite acceptable in public and even considered cute.
If you date a South Korean person and that too in South Korea then try to get a little intimate with them but don't take things to a steamy point since that is not the level of Public displays of affection (PDA) acceptable in South Korea. Read More…