Best Dating Apps In Korea
Join executive leaders at the Data, Analytics, & Intelligent Automation Summit, presented by Accenture. Watch now!
The world offers lots of ways and places in which to fall in love. France has wine and romance. Italy has The Lady and the Tramp-style spaghetti kissing. And Korea has smartphone apps.
South Korean Dating Apps. South Korean dating apps are primarily focused on exclusivity and anonymity. One of the most popular applications in South Korea – Amanda – attracts users with its status: registration is possible only after approval from current users. This selectivity makes people prove that they are worthy to join this closed club.
A lot of Korean singles who want to meet people for serious relationship (e.g., marriage) use match-making services. The most popular I think are Duo (듀오) and Sunwoo (선우) (at least based on all the advertisements). They have both online service (s. Shop my clothes: to watch more videos: Storytime SeriesE.
Relationships in Korea develop just like relationships anywhere in the world. You meet someone, go on a few dates, and decide you like each other, and before you know it, you’re walking down the aisle. But while many of us find social networks equal parts creepy and addicting, three Korean startups are hooking people into putting the entire life-cycle of their relationship on the web.
I-UM, Between, and MerryMarry, placed end-to-end, cover the entire scope of a relationship, from finding one another (I-UM) all the way to when you’re ready to get married (MerryMarry). The three aren’t even connected on the business front (yet), but with their powers combined, they become the perfect trifecta of techy Korean love apps.
I-UM
I-UM is a dating app that sends users a new potential mate every 24 hours. Founder Hee-eun Park told VentureBeat that she brands this match as your “24-hour destiny.” Like a regular dating website, people set up a profile and fill out information such as name, age, job, profile picture, interests and hobbies, schools they attended, and other things that your future significant other may want to know.
Then, each day at 12:30 pm (Korea time), the app matches you with another user and offers you that match. From there you check out their photo and bio and decide if you want to “pass” or if they are “okay.” If you choose “okay,” it’ll cost you $3 (unless you’re on the $15 monthly plan), with no guarantee that your match will approve you. You can only exchange contact information if both people choose “okay.”
Once you’ve dated someone, you can rank them on a scale of one to 10, which I-UM’s algorithm looks at when matching that person again. It is possible to see your average rank, but you’re going to have to pay to do it.
Thus far 400,000 people use the app, which is available on both iOS and Android. The company makes around $250,000 a month but currently only caters to Korea. Park plans to move next to other Asian markets, starting with Japan.
Now let’s say you’ve found your “destiny” and you’re ready to start a relationship. It’s time to move on to the next app.
Between
Between is a couples-only app in which you and your significant other can digitally canoodle in the form of private status updates, photos, chats, calendar events, and more. In essence, it’s a social network just for the two of you. The company’s founders, Edward Lee and Jaeuk Park, say their goal is to make Between a relationship status symbol in Korea, similar to the way a promise ring is indicative of a lasting relationship in the U.S. In their eyes, Between is a place to save the memories of your relationship on a timeline that you can scroll through when nostalgia hits.
The app, which is available on Android and iOS, recently hit 1 million users and is continuing to add new features. This includes a public space where couples can discuss things like where the best date-night place is and which movie theaters have the best make-out corners. Between may soon offer printed photo books as an a business model — one of the main things the company is still figuring out.
What if you break up? You have two options. You could delete your relationship and go back to I-UM for some more “24-hour destiny.” Or you can take a break and then return to your Between relationship, as the app will keep your data alive on its servers for one month.
But if he likes it and he wants to put a ring on it, it’s time to move on to MerryMarry.
MerryMarry
“I think after using Between it would be a very good idea to move on to MerryMarry,” said co-founder Amy Min in an interview with VentureBeat. “It’s like going to a new phase of life.”
When the wedding bells are ringing and the church choir is singing, it’s time to start planning your wedding on MerryMarry. This fledgling app is technically not a Korean company (it’s incorporated in Delaware), though its founders are from Seoul. In these early days, the app’s main feature lets you add guests to the app and distribute invitations to the wedding. The app then organizes who will attend; whether they want chicken, beef, or fish; and if they are bringing a plus-one.
You can chat with your bridesmaids and friends on the app, update family to any changes with the wedding, and plan events leading up to the wedding such as the bachelorette party and bridal shower. Min told us the app will eventually let all your guests take day-of pictures, which will then sold as wedding albums, although for now that feature is not yet available.
Min wants people to use the app not only as a way to plan the wedding but as a way to keep friends and family informed through to the end of the honeymoon. Couples can share pictures from their exotic getaways through the app. Maybe it’s good that your Grandma Ethel doesn’t know how to work a smartphone so she can’t judge you for wearing that skimpy bathing suit.
MerryMarry came out of beta this month and thus far has 1,500 users. It is currently only available on iOS devices.
If you’ve made it this far, then you’re officially out of the dating stage, done more than promised life-long love, and may even be passed the newlywed phase. What’s left for you? Well, it’s probably good Facebook recently added a “baby’s coming” status update option.
Thanks to Strong Ventures’ John Nahm for the inspiration for this post! Korea Love Wall image via hojusaram/Flickr
VentureBeat
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative technology and transact.Our site delivers essential information on data technologies and strategies to guide you as you lead your organizations. We invite you to become a member of our community, to access:- up-to-date information on the subjects of interest to you
- our newsletters
- gated thought-leader content and discounted access to our prized events, such as Transform 2021: Learn More
- networking features, and more
If you are a foreigner interested in Korean culture, history, language, or music it's a logical step to look for a relationship with someone from the culture you so admire. However, if you're not of Korean descent you may find it difficult to break into the Korean dating scene. Koreans are known for somtimes being averse to relationships (especially romantic ones) with non-Koreans.
As we'll see later in this article, the majority of the most popular dating apps in South Korea are made by Koreans for Koreans. Some well known western apps have found their way into the country, but they are usually more popular with foreigners living in Korea than with actual Koreans.
This makes online dating a bit difficult for a waeguk-saram. Native apps are usually only available in the Korean language, and there's even been reports that many will even kick you off the platform if you're not Korean.
However, if you're a non-Korean the deck isn't completely stacked against you. There are some online options for foreigners who want to connect with Koreans in South Korea.
In this article we'll share a top pick for foreigners looking to connect with Koreans in South Korea. We'll also include some other dating apps which are either more common with foreigners or generally exclusive to native Koreans.
Best Dating Apps In Korea Now
Enjoy!
Korean Cupid
Korean Cupid
Korean Cupid is the largest site focused on connecting foreigners and native Koreans for the hope of a romantic relationship. The site is owned in operated by Cupid Media, an Australian based company.
Cupid Media operates over 30 different niche dating sites. They use a combination of automated systems and user reporting to help curb spammers and scammers on their site. The site isn't 100% foolproof (no dating site is). Feel free to use the site safely, but as always watch for any warning signs.
'Korean Cupid is a very popular dating site in South Korea, and it’s hands down one of the best Korean dating sites in existence.
You’ll find plenty of real local women hoping to meet a foreign gentleman.
If you don’t mind hopping on a plane to meet the woman of your dreams, Korean Cupid is definitely worth a try.'
The profiles on Korean Cupid are what you would expect from any honest dating site. User profiles are often times very appealing, but other times not. It's not all that different from what you would expect in a real world dating environment (which is a good sign if you're looking for a serious relationship).
Again, this is the largest site specifically aimed at connecting foreigners with women in South Korea. If you're serious about finding a relationship with a Korean woman through a dating site, Korean Cupid is probably going to be your first and foremost choice.
South Korea Dating Site
Most popular dating apps in the country
The AMANDA app is the most popular dating app in South Korea
The AMANDA dating app gets its name from a Korean acronym about meeting new people. AMANDA is the most popular dating app in South Korea. When you upload your profile on the app you are rated by other users on your appearance. If you get a sufficient rating you are allowed to use the app. If you don't, you're rejected and have to try again (usually with a better photo).
Once you're on the app you are free to 'like' other people's profiles. If another person likes you back the app will allow you to message each other.
Even though AMANDA is the largest dating app in South Korea that doesn't mean it's an easy way for foreigners to meet local Koreans. The app is entirely in Korean, so if you don't know the language good luck with navigating your way through the app. It's also rumored that foreigners have been knocked off the app for not being Korean.
The concept behind Noon Date is pretty straight forward: everyday at noon you are shown two user profiles. If you and one of those two users both 'like' each other on the app you will be free to message one another.
Much like AMANDA using Noon Date could be a long shot if you're a non-Korean. The app isn't in English, and you may encounter some online stigma for being a foreigner.
Tinder
The most popular dating app in the West hasn't quite caught on in South Korea. While many young Koreans may know the app or at least its name, by and large Koreans tend to opt for other Korean apps like AMANDA.
There's a bit of local apprehension toward foreign dating apps, mostly because Koreans feel that Korean dating apps are more secure and reputable.
Hinge
If your goal is simply to date IN South Korea, and not necessarily date Koreans, you are liable to find a lot of foreigners on the app in and around Seoul. But who knows, you may also be able to connect with a local. No harm in trying!
It's also important to point out that unless you're physically in South Korea you'll need to pay in order to search Tinder for users not near your locale.
Dating is hard, whether you go out with someone across the street or across the globe. If you're a foreigner and your heart is calling you to Korea there are some online options for making genuine romantic connections.
If you don't know the local language then Korean Cupid is your best bet. If you are proficient in Korean you can try your luck with some of the more popular dating apps in the country (bonus points if you look Asian).
All the sites mentioned in this article allow users to create some sort of free account and at least try the app out. If you're on the fence about any of them I recommend checking the site out for yourself to see if it's right for you.