Gyeongbuk, 2024 Youth Club Participants Recruitment
33 Couples Matched Last Year... What About This Year?
Amid local governments' desperate efforts to reverse the birth rate, which entered a full-fledged decline around 2017, Gyeongbuk Province has attracted attention by taking bold matchmaking initiatives, such as offering cruise trips to unmarried men and women.
On the 25th, Gyeongbuk Province announced that it would support hobby club activities for unmarried men and women of marriageable age who have few opportunities to meet the opposite sex due to busy daily lives. Couples matched through this year's club activities will be given the opportunity to go on a 'Happy Meeting' trip, visiting major tourist attractions within the province on the same day or over a 1-night, 2-day schedule. At the end of the year, they can also enjoy a 5-night, 6-day cruise marine tourism opportunity using the Yeongilman Port International Cruise Terminal.
Participants must be unmarried men and women aged 25 to 42 who either reside in Gyeongbuk or work at workplaces within the province. Among those who meet the eligibility criteria such as registered address, workplace in the province, and age, 50 people will be selected through screening and a lottery.
The youth club activities will be conducted in three sessions. The first session will accept applications from today until June 17. The first session activities will take place from June 1 to June 8, with three clubs prepared: Yeongcheon Wine, Chilgok Perfume Making, and Yecheon Crafts. The second session is scheduled for August, and the third session for October. Last year, the youth clubs offered programs such as horseback riding, woodworking, cooking, and art, with 150 participants resulting in 33 couples forming.
Jung Seong-hyun, Director of the Local Era Policy Bureau of the province, said, "We hope this will serve as an opportunity to foster a positive perception of marriage through natural encounters during hobby activities."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the '2023 Meeting Templestay I Am Solo' event last year as part of the 'Population Improvement Project in Preparation for Low Birthrate and Aging Society.' This event combined the popular dating reality show 'I Am Solo' with the 'Templestay' trend among the MZ generation. More than 3,000 people applied, and the event was held successfully. According to Statistics Korea, South Korea's total fertility rate recorded an all-time low of 0.65 as of the fourth quarter of last year.
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