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Successful matchmaking program turns rural Daegu district into hotbed of love

Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 06:00

Daegu Dalseo District Mayor Lee Tae-hoon speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Dec. 1. [DALSEO DISTRICT OFFICE]

DAEGU — A district in Daegu has seen marriage and birthrates rise after launching an unprecedented local government-run matchmaking and support program, which now serves as a model for nationwide efforts to reverse Korea’s low-marriage, low-birth trends.

“To address the rise in non-marriage and non-childbearing, we needed structured policies that reduce the systemic burdens on young people and improve perceptions of marriage,” said Dalseo District Mayor Lee Tae-hoon during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Dec. 1.

Such was the motivation behind the launch of the “Marriage Promotion Team” on the sixth floor of Dalseo District Office nine years ago. Lee, who created the team shortly after taking office in 2016, has focused throughout his three-term tenure on implementing a wide range of related policies for the team.

Last month, Dalseo District celebrated the 200th couple to marry through a match arranged by the district government.

“Those 200 marriages are the result of overcoming early skepticism — people asking, ‘Why is the district office playing matchmaker?’ — and staying consistent in creating a marriage-friendly environment,” Lee said.

Under the name “Marriage Expedition,” Dalseo District’s Marriage Promotion Team has registered 1,120 unmarried men and women — 799 men and 321 women — and provided a range of opportunities to meet. Staff verify details such as age and occupation and conduct phone interviews to assess personality and preferences.

“Because the district office is hosting these events, young people feel they can trust the process,” said Lee. “After the first few couples married, word spread, and now over 1,000 singles have signed up.”

Daegu Dalseo District Mayor Lee Tae-hoon, left, and Kim Sa-rang, a Dalseo resident who met her husband through the Dalseo Marriage Promotion Team's program to become the 200th couple matched by the district office, pose for a commemorative photo [DALSEO DISTRICT OFFICE]

But the effort doesn’t stop at matchmaking. The district has signed agreements with local wedding businesses to offer discounts on wedding halls, hanbok (traditional Korean attire) rentals and dresses, reducing the financial burden of marriage.

Dalseo has also created a “marriage-friendly park” as a dating space for singles and hosts a dating festival, which attracts over 1,000 participants annually. As the marriage-friendly atmosphere took hold and more singles joined, other municipalities began reaching out for advice on how to replicate the program.

Building on that momentum, the district launched the “New Saemaul Movement” last year — a modern take on the 1970s national development campaign — to improve young people’s views on marriage.

Dalseo District has also signed agreements with other regions, including Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang, and is working to expand the movement into a nationwide campaign.

Festivalgoers are seen during the Powerful Daegu Festival in May this year [DALSEO DISTRICT OFFICE]

“The New Saemaul Movement is a reinterpretation of the ‘Let’s Live Well’ spirit from the 1970s, adapted for today,” said Lee. “It treats marriage not just as a personal matter but as a social issue, and aims to build a warm, supportive community that connects people and supports their relationships.”

Thanks to these efforts, the number of marriages in Dalseo District has risen notably over the past four years. The national average marriage rate from 2021 to 2023 increased by 0.3 percent annually, but Dalseo recorded an annual increase of 8.15 percent — 27 times the national average, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The district’s marriage promotion policies have also led to a boost in birthrates. From October last year to June this year, Dalseo District saw nine consecutive months of year-on-year increases in births. The average growth rate over that period was 16.9 percent, nearly twice the national average of 9.6 percent.

“We’re now moving toward integrated support that naturally connects marriage, childbirth and parenting,” said Lee.

Festivalgoers are seen during the Powerful Daegu Festival in May this year [DALSEO DISTRICT OFFICE]

To that end, the district launched a Childbirth Promotion Team in July last year. In October, it rolled out a new integrated information platform called the “Dalseo Marriage and Childbirth Information Diary,” which provides one-stop access to resources and support programs from dating to parenting.

The platform organizes 106 policies across six stages — dating, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, early childhood and multiple children — in an easy-to-navigate format. Users can apply directly for relevant policies through embedded links.

“We’ll continue working to expand Dalseo’s successful model throughout Daegu and eventually integrate it into national policy,” said Lee.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAEK KYUNG-SEO [[email protected]]