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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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 Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject: Joongang Daily: Korean Dating Agency is Seeking Expats |
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From the Joonang times yesterday.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2904664 (Silly me- I forgot the link)
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Korean dating agency eyes expat market
�Koreans are inclined to focus on personal information such as family background, income and occupation about a person whom they will meet.�
May 12, 2009 |
OK, sounds a little interesting. Different cultures, different rules.
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Speed dating is not a new phenomenon in the capital.
There have been many well-publicized events in newspaper and television reports extolling the drama of couples doing their best to impress in the allotted time, which for those who get along might seem too short, but for others far too long.
One local company is attempting to pin a new look to its speed dating business by targeting expatriate singles in search of romance in its efforts to hit the multi-million dollar global matchmaking industry.
But overcoming expectations among people from different cultures remains a challenge if the Korean firm is going to achieve its goals. |
At least they're being honest.
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Matchmaking the Korean way
With 45,000 online members and profits of 7.5 billion won ($6.1 million) last year, Sunoo is eyeing the global market.
�We have invested more than $10 million over the past eight years to develop our Web site into a global matching tool, which I can say is the most efficient and scientific matching gateway in existence today,� said Lee Woong-jin, Sunoo�s CEO.
�Our bilingual Web site has significantly lowered language barriers allowing us to build a cornerstone to become a global matchmaker. We have this plan to grow Seoul into a matchmaking hub by means of our patented IT matching systems,� Lee added. |
I hope their translation software is better than Google Translate. I've sunk many a ship using that my first 6 months. 
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The other service is more personalized and involves the company�s Match Consultant, where, according to Oh, a personal matchmaker arranges for two parties to meet after analyzing each customer�s profile.
�By the good offices of a matchmaker, both parties will have a chance to look through each other�s detailed profiles to decide whether to see the other party,� Oh said.
In addition, the company conducts a strict registration process to filter out possible ineligibles.
�Whoever wants to take advantage of our matching services should submit copies of their identification and employment verifications and sign a personal information agreement, which holds them legally responsible for the information they provide,� Oh said.
�By doing so, we prevent misinformation and vouch for a participant�s identification, which is not usually guaranteed by individual online dating service providers.� |
Seems a little intrusive. Does EHarmony ask you for your social security number or a driver's license copy?
Obviously they don't want another Craigslist Serial Killer incident on their watch.
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�While you can�t fully trust a person whom you meet in a club or a bar, you can be sure at least that people who sign up for this kind of service are interested in a more serious relationship,� said Amanda Beach, a 24-year-old from Virginia, who has been less than a year in Korea and works as an English teacher.
Curtin also gave a positive verdict.
�Even if you don�t find your match during the process, you can meet various new people and socialize with them while enjoying nice food at a nice place. So why not?� |
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Seems a little intrusive. Does EHarmony ask you for your social security number or a driver's license copy? |
This is Korea, this is the way Korean websites operate, are you shocked?
Did you just walk off the plane and onto this forum? |
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Frankly Mr Shankly
Joined: 13 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Sure they'll be looking for expats, as long as it's a Misuda-style weyguk chicks for hanguk blokes affair, or whitey dating whitey. But don't you bignose blokes dare date a Han princess!  |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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Provided they don't ask for anything overly odd, this could be a way for some people to at least meet up with a good match.
I have met loads of Korean females interested in meeting foreign guys, but they say they have no way to meet them. They want a guy who has something going for him -- not a lazy bum only has no future. Honestly, it's HARD to set them up with single people I know! Most of the good ones are spoken-for. Some of them are NOT what they'd be looking for!
Most of the same outgoing/playgirl crowd of Korean females gets passed-around from expat to expat from one bar to the next. Generally they've got little going for them, and are dating 3 other guys besides you as they better their English ability.
I met my wife online. One of the attractive things about her was that she wasn't the typical 20 to 30-something jobless player. There are a great plenty of those. She was financially stable, has a better job than mine, and is intelligent. Of course, there are two sides to that coin. |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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I found the women online to be looking for something serious, although many were VERY busy women...
I get the impression it's aimed at rich, older, working expats....I know a few and seen a few tooling around...They don't strike me as ESL teachers....
BTw, does anybody else wear a dress shirt and tie in this field....I just noticed I rarely ever seen a foreigner in one walking around. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Ukon wrote: |
| BTw, does anybody else wear a dress shirt and tie in this field....I just noticed I rarely ever seen a foreigner in one walking around. |
I wear a suit but no tie. Two of my co-workers wear a suit and tie. |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:19 pm Post subject: |
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I used to wear suits more often, but these days, they're a little tight.
I'm exercising, so hopefully I'll be able to fit into my suits more easily in a few weeks. |
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roadwork
Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Location: Goin' up the country
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Ukon wrote: |
BTw, does anybody else wear a dress shirt and tie in this field....I just noticed I rarely ever seen a foreigner in one walking around. |
I never wear unless it's picture/meet the parents day. I teach elementary school and I move around a lot when I get the kids doing songs or chants or some TPR related exercise and I would be covered in sweat if I wore a suit. Besides, they're really touchy feely kids and I would wan't their grubby little hands all over my nice fine linen. |
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ChinaBoy
Joined: 17 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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If I had to wear a suit, I'd walk.
Turned down a meeting with the chairman of China because of it. Got lots of stares from the chinese when I said that. |
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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 5:17 am Post subject: |
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The article did mention that some were English teachers. It didn't say which gender was the majority, however.
There seems to be a key point that has been missed: will the agency be setting up dates between expats and locals? So far the article has only mentioned event for expats or events geared towards locals, but nothing about mixed events. I am curious as to whether Sunwoo will mix it up a little. |
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Scotticus
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| Ukon wrote: |
BTw, does anybody else wear a dress shirt and tie in this field....I just noticed I rarely ever seen a foreigner in one walking around. |
I wear a shirt and tie or a button-down shirt and sweater during the cooler weather, but once it gets to the mid-20's, I'm in polos and khakis. Won't touch a suit, though. They remind me of *shudder* businessmen. |
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Blueberry
Joined: 15 Apr 2009
Location: Wonju
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 7:17 am Post subject: |
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| I wore suits unitil my Uni replaced all the chalkboards and whiteboards with the grease-pen style boards. Get that dripping on a suit, it won't come out. And those markers drip like crazy. |
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OculisOrbis
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Joongang Daily: Korean Dating Agency is Seeking Expats |
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�Our bilingual Web site has significantly lowered language barriers allowing us to build a cornerstone to become a global matchmaker. We have this plan to grow Seoul into a matchmaking hub by means of our patented IT matching systems,� Lee added. |
Does Korea have the space for another hub? What is the hub bearing capacity of this country? |
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xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow the JAD has come a long way! It wasn't two years ago that they were the hotbed of foreigner hatred here in Korea. I think they must have fired all their writes who in turn went to work for the Korea Times. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| roadwork wrote: |
| I teach elementary school and I move around a lot when I get the kids doing songs or chants or some TPR related exercise and I would be covered in sweat if I wore a suit. Besides, they're really touchy feely kids and I would wan't their grubby little hands all over my nice fine linen. |
Kind of a pedantic point, but if your suit(s) is (are) linen, you probably wouldn't sweat that much in them. I do agree though that good clothes are not a good thing to wear around touchy feely children. |
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