MZ Generation Opens Wallets for Dating Advice... "Willingly If It Brings Comfort"

Sharing Concerns via Internet Phone
30-40 Minutes for 30,000-50,000 KRW
Industry Says "Experience and Qualifications Must Be Verified"

Last February, Jeon (29) broke up with her boyfriend after dating for eight months. Not fully understanding the reason for the breakup and feeling emotionally conflicted, she discovered phone counseling for relationships. Although it cost 50,000 won per hour, she paid the fee to relieve her frustration and received counseling over the phone for a week. While she failed to achieve her main goal of reconciliation, Jeon explained that it provided emotional comfort. She said, “I wanted to talk to someone, but it was hard to open up to friends, so I searched online for phone counseling for relationships. I would rate my satisfaction about 9 out of 10.”

The number of MZ generation individuals (born between the 1980s and early 2000s) seeking relationship counseling via chat and phone is increasing. Prices vary from a few thousand won to tens of thousands of won, but if they can receive comfort and find solutions to their relationship problems, the MZ generation is willing to pay.

Chat and phone relationship counseling services are easy to find online. Searching for relationship counseling on portals like Naver and Daum brings up numerous counseling providers. Naver even offers a real-time counseling service platform called ‘eXpert,’ allowing access to various relationship counselors. The same applies on YouTube, where links to counseling providers’ websites are posted below videos or in comments. Through these links, users can access chat and phone relationship counseling services.

The longer the counseling session and when conducted by phone rather than chat, the higher the price tends to be. Generally, prices are set around 30,000 to 50,000 won for 30 to 40 minutes of counseling. Paying over 60,000 won allows access to unlimited counseling services similar to a membership. Some relationship counselors also offer face-to-face counseling, which typically costs about 200,000 won.

The MZ generation does not necessarily view chat and phone relationship counseling negatively. They believe that if they can receive expert advice, paying around 50,000 won is reasonable. In fact, some chat and phone relationship counselors hold nationally certified qualifications such as youth counselors or vocational counselors. Additionally, due to the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting emphasis on non-face-to-face interactions, there is little resistance to chat and phone counseling.

However, there is a definite risk of fraud. It is common to see qualifications displayed that are not nationally certified or recognized by the counseling industry. Some list unreliable credentials such as “relationship expert” or “relationship fixer” in their career descriptions. There are also criticisms that prices are high. The counseling industry explains that face-to-face psychological counseling by experts with doctoral degrees or professors typically costs around 200,000 won.

Experts advise carefully verifying credentials and qualifications to avoid fraud. A counseling industry official said, “You should receive phone or chat relationship counseling from someone with a degree or a credible certification,” citing examples such as the Korean Counseling Psychology Association, the Korean Counseling Association, and nationally certified youth counselors and vocational counselors.

There is also a way to check the business registration number and telecommunication sales business license. If the business is registered, there is a route to claim compensation if you are scammed or suffer other damages after requesting counseling. Furthermore, requesting personal information from the relationship partner or proposing chance meetings may violate the Personal Information Protection Act.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.