Cash for romance: South Korean district offers money for couples to date and marry

Busan’s Saha District aims to reverse declining birth rates with a matchmaking programme that gives financial incentives to prospective couples

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A couple watching the sunset in Busan, South Korea. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:46pm, 27 Jun 2024

With South Korea facing a demographic crisis due to having the lowest birth rate in the world, one district in the city of Busan has decided to tackle the challenge by offering cash for couples just to date and even more money if they get married.

The government of Saha District, located in the western part of South Korea’s second-largest city, recently passed a revised budget to fund a matchmaking programme that will encourage local ladies and gentlemen to meet with the aim of starting a family, with financial incentives offered to them at each step in the process.

A pilot project for the programme will take place in October with a meeting day event for prospective couples.

For each pairing that agrees to date through the programme, both man and woman will receive 500,000 won (US$360). Couples who decide to tie the knot will then get an additional 20 million won as a “congratulatory gift”.

Newlyweds can also receive 30 million won to put a deposit on a home or 800,000 won per month to subsidise their rent for up to five years.

A couple wearing traditional “hanbok” outfits taking a selfie at the Gyeongbok Palace, in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP

Participants must be between the ages of 24 and 43 and either live or work in Saha. They must also submit an application and go through a screening and interview process before being allowed to participate in the programme.