South Korean students seek course of true love

IN a country experiencing one of the lowest birth rates in the world, two South Korean universities are now offering courses that make it mandatory for students to date their classmates.

Professors at Dongguk and Kyung Hee universities in the capital, Seoul, say the courses on dating, sex, love and relationships aim to help reverse the trend where the younger generation are shunning family lives.

A sharp decline in marriage has given rise to the new term “sampo generation”, referring to young people who have given up on courtship, wedlock and childbirth because of economic pressures like housing costs, unemployment and tuition fees.

Professor Jang Jae-sook, who founded the “Marriage and Family” course at Dongguk University, said students were being taught how to find the right partner and sustain healthy relationships.

“Korea’s fall in population has made dating and marriage important, but young Koreans are too busy these days and clumsy in making new acquaintances,” she said.

Those who enrol on the course have to date three classmates for a month each. They go on dates as homework and discuss scenarios like jealousy and conflict.

“Students discover more about themselves, and see themselves through the eyes of others. They learn how to treat and talk to others and gain self-confidence,” Jang said.

Although matchmaking was not the ultimate goal, the course had produced at least one marriage, she said.

According to Statistics Korea, the annual number of marriages per 1 000 people was 5.5 last year, compared with 295.1 in 1970.

Over the past decade, the government has spent about £53-billion (R980-billion) trying to boost the birth rate. – The Telegraph