Seoul singles to get 'swept away' by new love this September on the Hangang Bus ferry

Seoul's city government will hold its regular matchmaking program for single men and women in the capital next month — this time aboard the city's ferryboats, it said Monday. 

"Seoul-ting" — a portmanteau of the capital's name and the Korean term blind dating — which launched in November 2024, has been held five times so far. Each session recruits 50 men and 50 women. The program reportedly has a 50 percent match rate and is set to celebrate its first couple to get married in December. 

The upcoming session, titled "Swept Away in Seoul: Hangang Bus Edition" (translated), will take place at 3 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.

The event, fully sponsored by the local credit card company Shinhan Card, will include a Hangang Bus cruise date, personalized one-on-one dates matched to participants' preferences, and couple recreational activities.

Eligible applicants must be Seoul residents aged 25 to 45 who are single with no prior marriages, employed, and able to provide proof through documents such as an employment certificate, income certificate, resident registration abstract and family relations certificate confirming marital status.

Applications will open Tuesday and run through Sept. 4 through the Seoul Metropolitan Government's website. The city will select 50 males and 50 female participants by random drawing from among applicants and notify individuals of the results on Sept. 11.

BY KIM JI-HYE [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]