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Culture

100 Days and Beyond: Understanding Korean Dating Traditions

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🔍 Ever wondered how dating in Korea differs from the West? Let's dive into the fascinating world of Korean dating traditions! 💕 Key Points: • Gobaek (고백): The formal confession of feelings that marks the start of a relationship. 🥰 • Couple Holidays: Celebrate love every month! From Valentine's Day to Kiss Day, there's a special day for every couple. 📅 • Milestone Celebrations: The 100-day anniversary is a significant milestone, with couples often exchanging gifts and rings. 💍 • Matching Outfits: Couples love to showcase their unity through coordinated outfits, known as "couple look." 👯‍♂️ • Date Courses: Elaborate outings that include meals, cafés, movies, and scenic spots to make the most of their time together. 🍽️🎥 Korean dating culture beautifully blends tradition and modernity, creating a unique approach to relationships! ❤️
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Culture
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Nov 8, 2024
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Korean dating culture features unique practices such as formal confessions of feelings ("Gobaek"), monthly couple holidays, and significant milestone celebrations like the 100-day anniversary. Couples often wear matching outfits and plan elaborate date courses, with men typically paying for meals and women for desserts. This blend of tradition and modernity offers insights into Korean society and values, making it an intriguing aspect of social life.
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Introduction

When you first dive into the world of Korean dramas, you might find yourself wondering about certain peculiar practices as the main characters grow closer and eventually start dating. Why are they wearing matching outfits? What's the significance of a 100-day anniversary? And what's the deal with couple rings? These unique customs are integral to Korea's distinctive dating culture. Dating in Korea is a fascinating mix of traditional values and modern practices. The Korean dating culture has several unique aspects that set it apart from Western dating norms. Let's explore some of these distinctive features and the special holidays that couples celebrate in Korea.
 

Confessing Feelings: "Gobaek"

In Korea, relationships often begin with a formal confession of feelings, known as "Gobaek" (고백). This practice, borrowed from Japanese culture, involves one person explicitly declaring their romantic interest in another. It's considered the official start of a relationship, marking a clear transition from friendship to dating. The official first day of marked in the calendar and all the coming anniversary days will be referenced.

Couple Holidays: Celebrating Love Year-Round

Korea has a unique calendar of "couple holidays" celebrated on the 14th of each month. Some of the most popular ones include:
  • Valentine's Day (February 14th): Women typically give chocolates to men.
  • White Day (March 14th): Men reciprocate by giving candy or gifts to women.
  • Black Day (April 14th): Single people gather to eat black bean noodles (jajangmyeon) and commiserate about their single status.
  • Rose Day (May 14th): Couples exchange roses.
  • Kiss Day (June 14th): A day for couples to share kisses.
  • Silver Day (July 14th): Couples exchange silver rings or accessories.
 

Milestone Celebrations: 100 Days and Beyond

Korean couples celebrate relationship milestones, with the 100-day anniversary (백일) being particularly significant. This tradition stems from the historical importance of a baby's 100th day in Korean culture. Couples often exchange rings, have a special date, or give each other gifts to mark this occasion.
Other important milestones include:
  • 200 days
  • 300 days
  • 1 year (called 'paper anniversary' or 종이혼식)
  • 1000 days

Couple Look: Matching Outfits

It's common to see Korean couples wearing matching or coordinated outfits, known as "couple look" (커플룩). This can range from identical t-shirts to complementary color schemes. It's a way for couples to publicly display their relationship and unity.

Romantic Holidays

Besides the monthly couple days, there are other romantic holidays in Korea:
  • Pepero Day (November 11th): Similar to Valentine's Day, couples exchange Pepero sticks (long, thin cookie sticks often dipped in chocolate).
  • Christmas (December 25th): While traditionally a family holiday in the West, in Korea, Christmas is often considered a romantic holiday for couples.

Date Courses

Korean couples often plan elaborate "date courses" (데이트 코스) that involve multiple activities in a single outing. A typical date might include a meal, a trip to a café, watching a movie, and perhaps visiting a scenic spot or attraction. As Koreans live busy lives their only free time for each other is usually is on the weekends that’s why every second needs to but squeezed out fully and the whole day has to have a plan.

Men Pay the Meal Women Pay for Desert

It's common for the man to pay for the meal, and the woman will pay for dessert or coffee afterward. Which creates a balance in the relationship.

Conclusion

The dating culture in Korea offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity. From formal confessions to elaborate couple holidays, Korean dating customs provide a structured yet romantic approach to relationships. Whether you're planning to date in Korea or just curious about different cultural practices, understanding these customs can offer fascinating insights into Korean society and values.
 

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