In a move to combat South Korea’s record-low birth rate of 0.72 children per woman, Busan’s Saha District has launched a matchmaking program offering substantial financial incentives to encourage dating, marriage, and family formation.
The initiative, which began as a pilot in October 2024, targets singles aged 23 to 43 who live or work in the district, with plans to expand to foreign nationals in 2025.
The program provides cash subsidies at various relationship milestones: couples who start dating through the district’s matchmaking event receive 500,000 won ($360) each, totaling $720 per couple.
If the couple arranges a family meeting to discuss marriage, each partner gets an additional 1 million won ($766). Upon tying the knot, couples are awarded a 20 million won ($14,400) “congratulatory gift.”
Newlyweds can also access housing support, with either a 30 million won ($21,700) deposit for a home or 800,000 won ($579) monthly rent assistance for up to five years.
In total, couples could receive between 53 million and 71 million won ($38,000-$51,400) in benefits.
“This project is designed to overcome the demographic crisis by forming a multicultural local community,” said Saha District head Lee Gap-jun.