A Korean Valentine’s

A tradition unique to this country alone, the Korean people celebrate Valentine’s Day differently from the American culture, an influence distinctly Western brought overseas to this small Asian peninsula. In Korea, on this holiday of showing one’s love and affection towards another, the tradition is the girls in relationships are the ones responsible for giving gifts to their boyfriends. The reasons for why it is done are uncertain, but they may be tied with the economic industries of this country. There is a nationally renowned holiday, known as White Day (March 14), where the guy in return would give something to the girls.
The dating scene in Korea is somewhat different from the one in the States. Stemming from a strongly rooted Confucian culture, throughout their history, the Koreans are raised, for the most part, with little interaction with the opposite sex, entering into marriages arranged by family members. Though less common than before, this is another aspect of the culture that can still be seen these days along with several other cultures in the East. Outside of arranged engagements, the nation’s young people resort to other means to meet someone of the opposite sex, particularly the following three.
One popular way to meet someone is through what is known as sogaeting, coming
from the Korean word sogae, meaning introduction. Sogaeting is similar to what we know as blind dates-where two individuals meet through the reference of friends or family members. The university students here also organize what they call meetings, where an equal number of guys and girls gather to look for a potential partner. They all go for coffee, some food, possibly a movie, or even to take a walk and just talk. By the end of the outing, each person would have found someone of his/her interest. What has been a recent craze within the past decade in finding possible partners is booking. Booking is known to be the most costly of the three, taking place in certain bars in Korea. Being upfront and direct to somebody is cause for embarrassment in Korea, so in booking, the men and women are separated and are introduced to each other through the waiters, who are tipped handsomely for making good choices.
The way of meeting someone has evolved interestingly over the decades, as the modern ways and age-old traditions mix uniquely. Some also consider it to be an example of the Western influence over an Eastern culture.