In a move to combat South Korea’s record-low birth rate of 0.72 children per woman, Busan’s Saha District has launched a matchmaking program offering substantial financial incentives to encourage dating, marriage, and family formation.
The initiative, which began as a pilot in October 2024, targets singles aged 23 to 43 who live or work in the district, with plans to expand to foreign nationals in 2025.
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The program provides cash subsidies at various relationship milestones: couples who start dating through the district’s matchmaking event receive 500,000 won ($360) each, totaling $720 per couple.
If the couple arranges a family meeting to discuss marriage, each partner gets an additional 1 million won ($766). Upon tying the knot, couples are awarded a 20 million won ($14,400) “congratulatory gift.”
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Newlyweds can also access housing support, with either a 30 million won ($21,700) deposit for a home or 800,000 won ($579) monthly rent assistance for up to five years.
In total, couples could receive between 53 million and 71 million won ($38,000-$51,400) in benefits.
“This project is designed to overcome the demographic crisis by forming a multicultural local community,” said Saha District head Lee Gap-jun.