Unmarried Seoul residents who want to marry but lack chances to meet someone will get an evening at an open-air night market this autumn. Participants will eat in groups of two men and two women at local restaurants and stroll through the alley together, getting to know each other without a formal program.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 29th that it will hold "Thrill in Seoul, Night Market Edition," the second event of its Seoul Ting 2.0 program, on Oct. 23 at Sangbong Food Alley in Jungnang District, Seoul. The city is recruiting 100 participants and will accept applications from the 30th until 5 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Sangbong Food Alley is Jungnang District's flagship dining strip, packed with restaurants and bars, and was named a Seoul Moonlight Night Market this month. The event will feature visits to restaurants matched to participants' tastes, two-on-two dinner dates at the night market and walking dates through the alley.
Eligibility is limited to unmarried men and women aged 25 to 45 who are registered residents of Seoul and economically active, including salaried workers, sole proprietors and freelancers. Fifty men and 50 women will be selected by random drawing, and results will be sent individually on Oct. 19 after eligibility checks. Applications can be submitted through the city's childbirth and childcare information portal or by scanning the QR code on the event poster. Applicants must provide a resident registration abstract, a marital status certificate and documents verifying economic activity.
The city has held five Seoul Ting events since launching "Thrill, in Han River" in November 2024. Cumulative applications reached 13,854, an average of 28 applicants per slot. A total of 126 pairs chose each other, for a cumulative match rate of 50.4%. In a survey of participants from the five earlier events, 92% said they wanted the program held regularly.
Interest remained high at the most recent event. "Thrill in Seoul, Han River Bus Edition," held around Ttukseom Hangang Park on the 19th of this month, drew 2,370 applications for 100 slots, or 23.7 applicants per slot. Twenty-eight pairs chose each other, a match rate of 56%. In a post-event survey, 98.9% of participants responded favorably to holding matchmaking events regularly, and 96.7% said they applied because they wanted to marry but lacked opportunities to meet someone.
For the Han River Bus edition, the city surveyed participants in advance on their leisure and dating preferences, interpersonal styles and views on relationships, and used the results for tailored matching. Participants preferred meetings that unfolded naturally over staged events, and cited shared values (43.8%) and conversational chemistry (43.6%) as the qualities they most wanted in a match. The city said it designed the night market edition around those preferences, with a program built for relaxed conversation.
Follow-up programs will run after the event so participants can stay in touch. The city will set up an open chat room for each cohort and share information on cultural programs in Seoul, including performances and exhibitions. It also plans to expand benefits tied to city policies, such as access to public facilities and admission to cultural and arts events.
Ma Chae-sook, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Affairs Office, said the event was designed "so that the excitement of a first meeting grows and the pressure eases, in the mood of an autumn evening." Ma added, "We will follow through with support so that connections made at Seoul Ting continue."
