CNN covers the stories of young Koreans shunning romantic relationships

U.S. news media outlet CNN published an online article on Monday in the world section regarding the tendency of younger generations in Korea to avoid dating. It explains that high unemployment and sexual violence such as illicit filming by romantic partners have made young Koreans hesitate to engage in a romantic relationship.

CNN cites a survey recently published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on unwed Korean men and women aged between 20 and 44 to study the status of fertility, family wellbeing and welfare in 2018. The news has said that around 26 percent and 32 percent of unmarried men and women, respectively, were in a romantic relationship.

According to the news report, the unemployment crisis is one of the blocks to dating among young Koreans with an unemployment rate of 10.8 percent recorded among Korean job seekers between 15 and 29 during March. Financial burdens regarding dating costs also contribute. CNN has also written that according to matchmaking company Duo the average cost for a date is 63,495 won, pointing that it is equivalent of 7.6 hours of work by a part-timer who gets paid the minimum wage of 8,350 won.

Partner violence and illicit filming by romantic partners also cause young Koreans to shun dating. “Between 2016 and 2018, the number of cases in which a person was assaulted by a romantic partner or date rose from 9,000 to nearly 19,000. Also 65 percent of cases reported to its Digital Sex Crime Support Center last year involved illicit filming by acquaintances or romantic partners,” CNN wrote. A recent high-profile sex scandal involving some K-Pop artists has illustrated how widespread this kind of sexual wrongdoing is across Korean society, according to the article.


wizi@donga.com