More Korean brides are going for younger grooms (2024)

FAQs

More Korean brides are going for younger grooms? ›

Koreans traditionally viewed a couple with a man four years older as a perfect match, partially due to the oriental marriage fortune that says couples with a four-year age difference make the best pairs. Although there are still more newlyweds with older grooms, more women are marrying younger men.

In 2020, that rose to 29.38 years old for men and 27.95 for women. In South Korea, the average marrying age of a man in 2023 was 34 and for a woman was 31.5—compared to 10 years ago, when the average age was 32.2 and 29.6, respectively.

Indeed, similar to our findings in Shanghai, empirical research shows that in Japan and Korea, women prefer men older than themselves, whereas men prefer younger women, especially as men age (Brinton, Mun, and Hertog 2021; Sohn 2017) .

The average age of first-time marriage was 31.1 years for women and 33.4 years for men, as of 2021. Compared to the average age of first-time marriage in 1991, 30 years ago -- 24.8 for women and 27.9 for men – women and men now wait 6.3 years and 5.5 years, respectively.

As for who pays for a Korean wedding, historically the groom's family would cover the main expenses while the bride's family would pay for her traditional Korean wedding dress. However, many modern couples don't adhere to this breakdown and instead opt to split the costs.

In 2023, the share of first-married couples with an older man was around 64.2 percent. Among such couples, most of the men were one to five years older than the women.

In 2023, the divorce rate in South Korea was 1.8 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants, similar to the previous year.

In South Korea, living together outside marriage is now more accepted, with the approval rate up to 65% from 46% a decade before, while only 35% agree an unmarried couple can have a child, according to the latest government surveys.

Changing perceptions of marriage

According to a survey, almost half of South Koreans. One of the main reasons why South Koreans choose to remain unmarried is the concern about raising children after marriage, high wedding expenses, and worries about one's career.

Marriage is a sacred institution in Asian communities and divorce the eighth deadly sin. Women have it particularly hard — seen as failing not only their partners and children, but also their extended families and reputations.

What are the red dots on Korean weddings? ›

The bride wears the Korean traditional Paebaek robe over her hanbok and sometimes will also place red dots (stickers / makeup) on the face to represent ruddy cheeks, which symbolizes youth and virginity. The groom's Paebaek robe closely resemble those worn by the lowest ranking officials during the Chosun Dynasty.

Both parties plan for a Korean marriage per the traditions passed down. Engagement rings are not as popular in a traditional Korean wedding. The bride opts whether or not to wear the ring after the wedding. The couple may also choose to skip wedding rings.

Waning influence of traditional beliefs on sex

Single people in South Korea nowadays have, on average, around four partners before marriage, with most stating that they would start having sex within a month of dating.

Men living in Seoul, on average, had their first marriage at 34.4 years of age in 2023, while the first marriage for women in the region happened when they were 32.4-years-old, according to Statistics Korea.

In addition, South Korean women give birth for the first time at the average age of 33.6 – the highest among OECD members.

In 2023, the divorce rate in South Korea was highest for marriages of up to nine years length. The divorce rate tends to decrease over the years from there, but again increases for long term marriages of 30+ years.

Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.