Asia-Pacific
S Korean bureaucrats making moves into matchmaking biz
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-09 11:08
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 The number of singles on South Korean streets could begin to decline as the government is designing a matchmaking service for bureaucrats. [China Daily]
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SEOUL: A South Korean government ministry will help bureaucrats date, mate and procreate in order to boost the country's falling birthrate.
The health ministry plans a matchmaking program that will bring single public servants together for social gatherings and community service work in the hopes of fostering love among available bureaucrats.
"We found that single people fall into certain categories, much like the unemployed," said Choi Jin-sun of the ministry's human resources development division.
It will split the unmarried between those who are single by choice and those who are so by circumstance, and has devised plans to help the unwed population find a partner.
The government in late 2009 unveiled a plan to boost South Korea's birthrate, the lowest in the developed world.
The country is greying quickly and needs to boost the population to expand the economy and provide payments to government coffers for the increased welfare spending that comes with an ageing society.
"We're not talking about a one-time mass meeting among singles, but regular, constant opportunities where singles can meet and mingle naturally," said Choi.
Reuters
