South Korea's Buddhist Temples Turn to Matchmaking as Singles Seek Love and Connection

A 30 Hour Retreat With a National Mission

More than 1,600 people applied for just 24 places at a Buddhist matchmaking retreat at Donghwasa, an eighth century temple in the forests of Mount Palgongsan near Daegu. Over 30 hours, the selected men and women took woodland walks, exchanged invitations to meals and performed in a talent show, all with the possibility of finding a partner.

Eight couples formed by the end, including two matches between event staff and participants. The gathering, followed by reporter Jake Kwon, brought together people whose working lives offered few opportunities to meet someone. It also placed an unusually personal task, finding love, inside a national campaign to encourage marriage and childbirth.

A monk in burnt orange robes opened the retreat by telling the singles that their mission was to help save their country by finding a partner and eventually raising a family. The participants giggled and exchanged glances. The atmosphere resembled the opening of a television dating programme, although the concern behind it was serious.

South Korea's total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.72 in 2023. Buddhist temples have joined a wider effort that includes cash bonuses, housing support and events organised by local authorities. The retreats are open to people of any faith, bringing secular young adults into religious settings for a practical reason: they want a chance to meet.

The temple programme is organised by the Social Welfare Foundation of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, and supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Its popularity shows strong demand for organised introductions, even among people who have struggled with conventional dates.

Why Buddhism Has Entered the Birth Rate Debate

South Korea's fertility rate measures the average number of children a woman would be expected to have over her lifetime under the birth patterns being measured. The 2023 figure of 0.72 was far below the replacement level of 2.1, the level at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next without migration.

Fewer births mean fewer young people entering the workforce in the years ahead. They also put pressure on pensions as the balance between workers and retired people changes. Schools face emptying classrooms while demand for care for older people grows.

The government has spent roughly $250 billion since 2006 on programmes intended to encourage marriage and childbirth. Measures include extended parental leave, payments for newborns and subsidised apartments for newlyweds. Births nevertheless continued to fall until a slight rebound began in 2024, leaving the results of that spending modest.

Local authorities have organised matchmaking events since the early 2000s. Their activities have ranged from woodworking workshops to riverside parties with DJs. Temple retreats add another setting to that effort, combining a religious institution's standing in the community with opportunities for conversation.

Yoo Cheol-ju, a host who helps run the Donghwasa retreat, connects the initiative to the temple's history. During the Japanese invasions of the 1500s, Donghwasa served as a camp for monk militias. He presents today's demographic challenge as another moment when Buddhists should act for the country.

Buddhists have always been the first to take action when our country is in trouble. Low births are a national crisis. We had to do something about it.

Getting a Place Is Part of the Challenge

Donghwasa's more than 1,600 applications for 24 places amounted to more than 66 applicants for each spot. The competition was described as roughly comparable to a university entrance exam. For prospective participants, a weekend away at a temple had become a highly sought opportunity.

Applicants complete questionnaires and submit selfie videos. The selection process is intended to identify people who are serious about marriage and children. The programme welcomes applicants regardless of religion, so being Buddhist is not a condition of joining.

The approach creates a gathering with an explicitly stated purpose. Participants arrive knowing that the other people have also applied for a retreat centred on meeting a potential partner and considering family life.

Naksansa Temple in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, has drawn even greater demand. A two day event under the Jogye Order's I am Solo at the Temple programme, known in Korean as I am Jeollo, selected 20 people from a record 4,225 applicants. That was roughly 211 applicants for every place.

Walks, Plastic Roses and a Talent Show

Donghwasa's weekend begins with introductions and small gestures. As participants arrive at the temple complex, potential suitors hurry to help carry luggage to their rooms. Kwon Seung-oh brings French pastries he has baked himself, winning immediate admiration during the opening introductions.

Pairs then walk along wooded paths around the temple. The walks give them time to speak privately, away from the noise of a city cafe. The programme moves between quieter conversations and activities that ask people to make their preferences visible.

At lunch, the men hand a plastic rose to the woman they would like to invite. At dinner, the women choose their preferred partner. These simple exchanges encourage direct approaches in a setting where striking up a conversation with a stranger in public is otherwise uncommon.

The talent show adds a more exposed kind of introduction. One man dances to a song by the boy band 2PM with a chorus that says, I wanna take you to my house. One woman dances to a brand new pop song, while another sings a ballad. Ruby, a designer, charms her table with a halting introduction in Spanish.

The performances create an awkward, clumsy crescendo to the day. The mood combines summer camp with a television dating competition: people must take small risks in front of others, while deciding whom they would like to know better.

When Work and Home Leave Little Room for Dating

Kim Ah-kyung, 28, uses the Buddhist name Sunhyeji. She moved from the Seoul region to an office job in the southeastern provinces, where most of her colleagues are much older. Her daily routine gives her few opportunities to meet men of a similar age.

Kim describes how commuting between work and home has narrowed her social life. Even an attempt to find a hobby failed to create the introductions she wanted.

There really is no chance to meet men. I only go between work and home. I do not have a hobby. I tried to get one, but they were all one on one activities.

Kwon Seung-oh, a factory worker aged 30 who is known as Enyo, faces a different version of the same problem. His workplace, a large dairy factory outside Daegu, is 97% male. The place where he spends much of his time provides little opportunity to meet women.

Kwon has tried about ten blind dates arranged by friends, but found them shallow and unproductive. He is also wary of dating apps. Such apps never became as popular in South Korea as in the West; in 2015, Tinder rebranded itself in the country as an app for finding friends to appeal to people uncomfortable with meeting strangers online.

School, work and sogaeting, blind dates arranged through friends or family, have traditionally helped South Koreans meet partners. Smaller social circles and longer working hours have narrowed those routes. Young people are going out less, drinking less and interacting less with strangers, leaving some both lonely and hesitant about romance.

Eight Couples, With Questions About the Participant Count

Donghwasa ended with eight couples, including two pairings between staff and participants. The result was described as 16 people leaving with a potential partner out of a gathering of 24 attendees.

The retreat was also described as leaving a majority of attendees without a romantic match. A breakdown separating staff from the 24 selected participants was not given, so the participant count remains unclear. The eight couple total includes the two matches involving staff.

Kwon did not find a partner. He was disappointed, but the experience gave him confidence and a break from a routine with almost no opportunities to meet women. He said he would return for another attempt.

If they let me in again, I would be up for another shot.

Naksansa's event ended with five pairs leaving as couples. With 20 participants, that result involved half of the selected group. A couple who met at an earlier Naksansa retreat later married and are now expecting a child, giving the programme a concrete example of a match continuing into family life.

The lasting outcome of the new matches is still unknown. A pairing at the end of a weekend is an early stage of a relationship; marriage and children involve further decisions over time.

Naksansa's Demand Prompts Another Event

Naksansa's 4,225 applications included 1,655 men and 2,570 women. Women accounted for about 61% of the applicants, with 915 more women than men seeking places. The figures show both the scale of interest and the gender imbalance seen at South Korean dating events.

Ven. Doryun, head of the Social Welfare Foundation of the Jogye Order, said the overwhelming response led the foundation to add an extra event for residents of the Seoul metropolitan area.

Choi Sung-hyun, president of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, expressed his wish for the activities to produce relationships.

I hope many couples are formed through this event.

The Donghwasa and Naksansa application figures show that many singles are willing to try a setting far removed from a coffee shop, bar or dating app. Both programmes offer structured time with people who have actively chosen to seek a relationship.

A Small Birth Rate Rebound Meets Bigger Pressures

South Korea's births began a slight rebound in 2024 after years of decline. As of July 21, 2026, the outlook described women as expected to have an average of 1.0 child this year, compared with 0.8 the previous year. The earlier record low was 0.72 in 2023.

Officials have been cautious about taking credit for the increase. They attribute part of the rebound to weddings and births delayed by the pandemic, alongside a large cohort of baby boomer children reaching the age when people commonly start families.

A survey published in March found unmarried people nearly 10% more favourable towards marriage and children than two years earlier. Some temple participants said they were seeing more social media posts about friends marrying and starting families, making those choices feel less unusual.

The developments span several years:

• Since 2006, government spending on programmes encouraging marriage and childbirth has reached roughly $250 billion.
• In 2015, Tinder presented itself in South Korea as an app for finding friends.
• In 2023, the total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.72.
• In 2024, a slight rebound in births began.
• In March 2026, a survey recorded greater openness towards marriage and children among unmarried people than two years earlier.
• As of July 21, 2026, the fertility outlook was around 1.0 child per woman for the year, compared with 0.8 the previous year.

Housing costs, limited childcare support and demanding working conditions are part of the wider debate about why parenthood feels out of reach. Another argument centres on women choosing careers and personal freedom over traditional marriage expectations. Economic pressure and changing values both shape the decisions young adults face.

Temple matchmaking addresses one practical difficulty within that debate: finding someone with whom to consider a shared future. Government bodies, religious orders and civic groups are trying a range of approaches, while the retreats offer social contact with less of the transactional feeling associated with dating apps.

Friendship Can Be the Lasting Result

Kim stayed awake until 3 a.m. talking with the other women in her room. Although she did not leave with a partner, she left with new friends and plans to meet again. She described the weekend as a fun sleepover that made her feel like a teenager, more willing to be spontaneous and make bold choices.

Kim said the friendships were already extending beyond the temple.

I made many friends. We are already planning to get brunch together.

The single men also continued spending time together after the retreat, with plans to replace temple tea with alcohol and meat. Nearly everyone was described as leaving with something new, whether a potential relationship, friends or greater confidence.

Those experiences bring the social side of the birth rate debate into focus. People who are tired, shy or disconnected need opportunities to meet, alongside financial support for family life. The temples create a safe, structured space where strangers can become friends and, sometimes, partners.

Donghwasa's 30 hours cannot resolve housing costs, working conditions or childcare needs. Its immediate contribution is more personal: giving people whose routines rarely cross a reason and a place to talk.

Key Points

• Donghwasa's 30 hour retreat near Daegu attracted more than 1,600 applicants for 24 places.
• Eight couples formed, including two matches involving staff; the participant totals were described inconsistently.
• Naksansa selected 20 people from 4,225 applicants, and five pairs left as couples.
• A couple from an earlier Naksansa retreat married and are expecting a child.
• The Jogye Order's Social Welfare Foundation organises the programme with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
• South Korea's fertility rate reached 0.72 in 2023; the outlook described for 2026 was around 1.0, following 0.8 the previous year.
• Participants also gained friendships and confidence, including those who left without a romantic partner.