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.
Any person who has attained the age of 18 may enter into a matrimonial engagement upon the consent of his/her parents or adult guardian. Article 808 shall apply mutatis mutandis to such cases. An adult ward may enter into a matrimonial engagement upon the consent of his/her parents or adult guardian.
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.
On average, give or take between 4–5 years is the MOST desirable age gap but it is only if the man is older than the woman as culturally it is more accepted there. Anything outside this range is considered getting slightly odd or uncomfortable, and anything above a 10 year age gap starts to become taboo.
The stars' fear of damaging their popularity could be a big reason, according to Kwon Young-Chan, a comedian-turned-psychologist. “Numerous celebrities believe that marriage will lead to a fall in their popularity”, Kwon told the Korea Times.
The average period of marriage before divorce came to 17.3 years last year, gaining 0.6 year on-year and 4.1 years compared with a decade earlier. But the overall number of divorces came to a 24-year-low last year, coming in at 102,000, down 4.5 percent on-year. This compares with 91,160 divorces recorded in 1997.
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 Australia, the average age gap between opposite-sex couples is 1.8 years. This statistic is a telling indication of the reality of age difference between couples in Australia.
Why is age such a big deal in Korean culture? According to anthropologist Mo Hyun-joo, “age really matters” in South Korean culture because it affects one's relative social status and dictates which titles and honorifics one must use for others.
Age is nothing but a number – at least to these celebrity couples who overcame their large age gap and found true love. An age gap of 12 years is significant in Korean culture because it means that the couple is a full zodiac cycle apart.
The divorce rate in South Korea in 2021 was two divorces per 1,000 inhabitants, slightly lower than the value of 2.1 in the previous year. The divorce rate shows no major signs of decline, which reflects changes in the country's social norms.
A foreign national who is married to a Korean is entitled to the F-6 marriage immigrant visa. If a foreign spouse has been living in Korea with another type of visa, he or she can change their visa type to F-6. The F-6 visa is initially valid for just one year and needs to be renewed every one or two years thereafter.
Love marriage
Most often, the bride and groom first met on a blind date arranged by friends, on a group date, at their workplace, or while in college or university. South Korean families accept this type of marriage more readily than they used to.
Korean parents are generally very traditional; they believe every relationship should lead to marriage. You might get surprised if your in-laws start talking about your weddings during the first meet. Most Koreans are against their first son marrying a foreigner.
That's why most families will pay for their share of the wedding costs. That means most brides and grooms in Korea will not pay for the wedding themselves, but their families (parents) will. Korean parents see marrying off their children as their very last duty as a parent. Goodbye, so long, fare thee well young child.
A ring on the ring finger is a sign of love and commitment. A ring on your index finger represents friendship. Many older couples don't wear wedding bands and it is usually the younger couples who choose to wear couple, engagement, or wedding rings. Diamonds were not traditionally used in Korean jewellery.
The law scraps one traditional system that deemed South Koreans one year old at birth, counting time in the womb. Another counted everyone as ageing by a year every first day of January instead of on their birthdays. The switch to age-counting based on birth date took effect on Wednesday.
South Koreans welcome the change in law that makes them younger. South Koreans became a year or two younger on Wednesday as new laws that require using only the international method of counting age took effect, replacing the country's traditional method.
It is different from the international age (or Western age) because of two reasons. First, you are automatically one year old at birth. Second, you age another year because of the turn of the calendar year. Your date of birth doesn't affect your Korean age.
Korean girls are very emotional and need a lot of assurance. They would want someone caring who treats them well. Someone who takes time out of his busy schedule for them. They love small gestures, like when someone gives them flowers or gifts.
But Korean couples often surprise each other with flowers, chocolates, and cute knick-knacks. It's very romantic in Korean dating culture. They're always connected. Even if Korean couples are apart, they keep in touch via phone or texting constantly.
A Union of Families, Not Just of the Bride + Groom
A Korean wedding is symbolic of more than just the union of two people. The marriage represents two families coming together as one. As a result, parents from both families take active participation in many aspects of the wedding.
Although a significant number of married couples decide to go their separate ways each year in Korea, divorce is not a topic that Koreans talk about casually, largely because it is still a taboo subject. The divorce rate in Korea has increased for two consecutive years since 2018, according to Statistics Korea.
Rules restricting marriage
In Korea, a child inherits his or her father's surname. Traditionally, men and women who have the same surnames and "ancestral homes", called dongseong dongbon (동성동본; 同姓同本), are not permitted to marry.
Wearing a ring on different fingers has different meanings in South Korea. A couple ring is traditionally worn on the ring finger. Whether it's on the right or left hand doesn't matter. A ring on the ring finger is a sign of love and commitment. A ring on your index finger represents friendship.