Faith Brought Them Together... 'I Am Naturally' Creates Record Number of Couples

Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation 'Naneun Jeollo' Season 4 Concludes
30 Men and Women Participate, 7 Couples Formed... Largest Scale Ever
Started Last Year with Ministry of Health and Welfare Support, Season 5 in August

The program ‘Naneun Jeollo,’ which helps find partners at Buddhist temples, is gaining attention for producing the largest number of couples in its history. On the 17th, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism Social Welfare Foundation announced that season 4 of ‘Naneun Jeollo,’ a program facilitating meetings between young men and women at temples, resulted in a record-breaking seven couples.

I am naturally drawn to the appearances of the participants of Season 4. [Image provided by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism Social Welfare Foundation]

‘Naneun Jeollo’ is a Buddhist matchmaking event modeled after the popular TV show 'I Am Solo.' Supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it began last November, with the second season held in December. This year, the third season took place in April at Jeondeungsa, a thousand-year-old temple located in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. At that time, the competition rate was 14.7 to 1 for men and 19 to 1 for women, with four couples ultimately formed.

Season 4 of ‘Naneun Jeollo’ was held from the 15th to 16th at the Korean Culture Training Center in Sagok-myeon, Gongju-si, Chungnam Province. A total of 248 men and women applied, and 30 participants (15 men and 15 women) were selected to join the program. Over the course of one night and two days, participants engaged in various activities including self-introductions, meditation experiences, recreational activities, campfire bonding time, and a visit to Magoksa Temple.

One of the seven couples matched in the final round, participant A, said, "Although one night and two days was a short time, it was enough to get to know each other’s feelings. I will continue to nurture these emotions as they are even after leaving here."

Myojang Sunim, CEO of the Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation, stated, "The low birthrate and aging population are among the most critical challenges our society faces. We plan to continue implementing various projects to address these issues." Discussions are underway to hold season 5 in August.

In November last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched a 'Religious Council for Overcoming Low Birthrate' together with seven religious organizations (Protestantism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, Confucianism, Cheondogyo, Catholicism, and the Korean Council of Indigenous Religions). This initiative aims to address marriage and low birthrate issues, as data shows that people with religious affiliations tend to have more children than those without. Among married individuals, those without religion have an average of 1.31 children, compared to 1.43 for Protestants, 1.33 for Catholics, and 1.49 for Buddhists, indicating that people with religion have more children on average.