Seoulting: Seoul's city-run dating event grows to 150 singles after 179 couples
By Rhea MalhotraDigital Life Writer, Peepals Yuva
File photo: Eugene Lim (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Seoul's city-run Seoulting matchmaking, with 179 couples from 17,672 applications, holds its last 2026 event at DDP on 12 December with 150 places.
What Happened
Seoul's city-run matchmaking programme for single residents, known as Seoulting, will hold its last event of 2026 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on Saturday, 12 December, and for the first time will take 150 participants instead of 100, according to reports of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's announcement on 11 November 2026. Since the programme began in November 2024 it has received 17,672 applications and produced 179 matched couples. Applications for the December event close on Monday, 30 November.
Key Facts
- Event: the final Seoulting of 2026, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul, on Saturday, 12 December 2026.
- Size: 150 places, up from 100, split equally between 75 men and 75 women chosen by lottery after eligibility checks.
- Who can apply: unmarried men and women aged 25 to 45 who live in Seoul, including office workers, the self-employed and freelancers, according to reports.
- Deadline: applications close on 30 November; results are sent to applicants individually on Tuesday, 8 December.
- Programme: a tour of DDP's exhibition and design spaces, one-on-one meetings matched to each person's tastes, and an evening walk to see the city lights near DDP.
- Record so far: 17,672 applications (7,378 from men, 10,294 from women) and 179 couples since the first event in November 2024.
- Demand: the average competition rate has been 25 applicants per place, with a highest of 36 to 1.
- The September 2026 edition, held on Seoul's Han River buses, drew 2,370 applicants for 100 places and produced 28 couples, a 56% match rate; the October edition reached 50%.
Why It Matters
Seoulting is one of several attempts by city and national governments in East Asia to help single people meet in person. Singapore and Tokyo have also tried state-backed dating apps. The Seoul events are designed as low-pressure meetings in public places, such as a design museum, a river bus or a night market, rather than formal matchmaking.
The numbers suggest that many young adults want this kind of structured, in-person meeting. An average of 25 applicants for every place means most people who apply are not selected. Women have applied in larger numbers than men, while each event selects equal numbers of each by lottery.
For young readers in India, where meeting a partner usually runs through families, friends or apps, Seoul's experiment is an example of a city government creating curated, public spaces for single people to meet face to face, and publishing how often it works.
Peepals calculation: Of the 17,672 applications, women made 10,294, or about 58%, and men 7,378, or about 42%, which works out to roughly 1.4 women applying for every man (10,294 divided by 7,378 = 1.40). At the September event, 100 places mean 50 possible pairs, so 28 couples is a 56% match rate (28 divided by 50), matching the city's figure. That event's 2,370 applicants for 100 places gives a competition rate of 23.7 to 1. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Seoulting figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Applications since November 2024 | 17,672 |
| Applications from women | 10,294 |
| Applications from men | 7,378 |
| Couples matched so far | 179 |
| Places at the 12 December event | 150 (up from 100) |
Impact
Short-term: Single Seoul residents aged 25 to 45 have until 30 November to apply for the 12 December event, with 150 places and an expected long queue of applicants.
Long-term: The larger event is a test of whether the format can grow without losing the match rates of 50% and above seen this autumn.
Who is affected: Unmarried residents of Seoul aged 25 to 45, the city government and its partners running the events, and other cities in Asia watching similar programmes.
What to watch next: The application deadline on Monday, 30 November, results on Tuesday, 8 December, and the event itself on Saturday, 12 December 2026.
Key Takeaway
Seoul's Seoulting programme, which has matched 179 couples from 17,672 applications since November 2024, holds its last 2026 event at DDP on 12 December with 150 places.
Questions and Answers
What is Seoulting?
Seoulting is a matchmaking programme run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for unmarried residents aged 25 to 45. It began in November 2024 and has matched 179 couples so far.
When is the last Seoulting event of 2026?
It is on Saturday, 12 December 2026, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. Applications close on 30 November and results are sent on 8 December.
How many people can join the December Seoulting?
150 people, 75 men and 75 women chosen by lottery, up from 100 at earlier events.
How successful has Seoulting been?
The programme reports 179 couples from 17,672 applications. The September 2026 event matched 28 couples among 100 participants, a 56% match rate, and the October event reached 50%.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rhea Malhotra, Digital Life WriterCovers Digital Life and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Rhea Malhotra
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Rhea Malhotra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
