Local Governments Compete in Marriage Support with 'Blind Dates and Wedding Halls'... Low Birthrate Measures Losing Direction

Despite Effectiveness Concerns, Local Governments Expand Projects
Nationwide Local Governments Conduct 'Sogaeting Juseon' (Blind Date Matching) Projects
Low Usage Rates, Yet 'Gonggong Yesikjang' (Public Wedding Halls) Expanded
Experts Say "To Show Tangible Results"

The low birthrate countermeasure craze is expanding beyond public institutions and ministries to local governments nationwide. In an effort to solve the severe low birthrate problem, there is a competitive push to focus on matchmaking and public wedding hall projects. However, there are also criticisms that these measures are far from effective solutions to the low birthrate issue. Most of them are said to lack fundamental consideration, being short-term measures aimed at producing quick results such as marriage support or cash assistance.

Solving Low Birthrate with ‘Matchmaking Projects’?

[Photo by Naju City]

Recently, city and provincial governments across the country have launched matchmaking projects targeting unmarried men and women. In May, Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province planned an event called 'SOLO MON's Choice' for 100 unmarried men and women. Seongnam City has organized this event five times this year following last year, attracting 597 applicants for 100 spots.

Naju City in Jeollanam-do also held a matchmaking project called 'Solo Ending, Happy Ending' this year following last year. Sejong City held the first session of 'Making Connections' in the same month and conducted a total of two sessions. Similar events were also held in Yeoju City in Gyeonggi Province, Jinju City in Gyeongsangnam-do, Andong City in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Goheung and Damyang counties in Jeollanam-do.

Marriage support projects have been underway for several years, but their scale and frequency have recently increased. It is reported that each event involves a budget ranging from as little as 10 million KRW to over 100 million KRW. Especially since local governments hold more than one event each, a considerable budget is required. According to local government officials, field workers have been instructed to devise marriage support projects such as matchmaking and weddings as part of low birthrate countermeasures.

Expansion of Underutilized 'Public Wedding Hall' Rentals

[Photo by Seoul City]

Local governments have also focused on expanding public wedding hall rentals this year. Seoul City opened 22 facilities including parks and hanok (traditional Korean houses) as wedding venues starting this month and launched a comprehensive wedding support program (up to 1 million KRW). Daegu City has been supporting engaged couples holding small weddings with 1 million KRW since 2020 and opened 11 public facilities as wedding venues.

The government also announced last month a plan to provide youth-tailored wedding spaces by additionally opening public facilities nationwide, pledging to open 48 public facilities. From this month, a pilot service for searching and reserving 80 facilities nationwide has been launched, with plans to identify over 200 public facilities by the end of 2027.

There have been ongoing criticisms that marriage support projects planned by local governments, such as matchmaking and public wedding hall rentals, are unrelated to low birthrate countermeasures. Last year, Seoul City announced plans to promote 'Seoulting,' a matchmaking project for youth as a low birthrate countermeasure, but the event was canceled amid criticism that it was not a fundamental solution to the low birthrate. Regarding public wedding hall projects, users have pointed out that although the rental fee is free, additional costs make it not significantly cheaper than regular wedding halls, resulting in low utilization rates in some local governments.

"Performance-Oriented Policies Need Deeper Consideration"

Nevertheless, local governments continue to pursue marriage support and cash assistance projects. Experts point out that these are 'projects that can easily produce short-term results.' Hyejung Yoo, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Future Research Institute, said, "From the perspective of local governments, these projects seem to be ones that can show visible results," adding, "Considering cost-effectiveness, it is necessary to review whether such projects should be prioritized."

There is also advice that local governments, ministries, and public institutions should contemplate more fundamental alternatives to solve the low birthrate problem. Sujung Jang, Professor of Social Welfare at Dankook University, said, "The essence of low birthrate countermeasures lies in how possible it is to balance work and life when starting a family, and how much one can adjust their career and lifestyle," adding, "These policies are difficult to change the mindset of people who have no plans for marriage or childbirth."

Donggeun Lim, Research Fellow at the Korea Future Research Institute, also advised, "If policy demand is not differentiated, the wrong people may become the target of policies, accelerating low birthrate in local governments," and "Local governments should regularly survey and monitor the changing perceptions of youth regarding marriage and childbirth every year."

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