STUDENTS at two South Korean universities are being offering courses that make it mandatory for them to date their classmates as the country battles to reverse one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
Seoul’s Dongguk and Kyung Hee universities say the courses on dating, sex, love and relationships target a generation which is shunning traditional family lives.
Many young people have given up on courtship, wedlock and childbirth because of economic pressures such as housing costs, unemployment and tuition fees.
The steep decline in marriage has given rise to the new term: the sampo generation.
Professor Jang Jae-sook, who founded a “Marriage and Family” course at Dongguk University, said students were being taught how to find the right partner and sustain healthy relationships.
Kelsey Grammer Defies All of Hollywood, Goes on Record with Glowing Review of Trump
Watch: Jasmine Crockett’s Utterly Bizarre Campaign Kickoff Video Is Nothing but Trump Insulting Her Non-Stop for 45 Seconds
Hollywood star reveals what he thinks of potential Newsom presidency with two-word response
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump critic Jasmine Crockett shakes up Senate race
Trump sells farmer bailout as affordability fix
Fierce Trump critic Jasmine Crockett shakes up high-stakes Senate race
Congress to Withhold Key Funding from Pentagon Until Pete Hegseth Meets Lawmakers’ Demands
Report: Biden Was So Determined to Do the Opposite of Trump That He Ignored Repeated Warnings from His Own Advisers
White House turns up heat on Biden’s economic record as voters sour on ‘affordability’
Former Miss Slovakia says Uber driver kicked her out on busy intersection for being Jewish
Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba resigns as acting US attorney for New Jersey
Luigi Mangione pumps fist in court as body cam allegedly reveals loaded magazine found inside wet underwear
Top Dem Drops Out of Texas Senate Race on Same Day Jasmine Crockett Is Expected to Announce Her Candidacy
Op-Ed: Shocking Teenage Abortion Investigation Shows Weakness of Red-State Abortion Laws
Trump to unleash $12B farm rescue as China trade reset hits US growers
She said: ”Korea’s fall in population has made dating and marriage important but young Koreans are too busy these days and clumsy in making new acquaintances.”
And as part of the course, students have to date three classmates for a month each.
Homework includes going on dates and discussing scenarios such as jealousy and conflict.
Ms Jang designed the curriculum to include dating in the belief that learning from real-life experience is as important as studying theory.
She said: ”Korea’s fall in population has made dating and marriage important but young Koreans are too busy these days and clumsy in making new acquaintances.”
Kelsey Grammer Defies All of Hollywood, Goes on Record with Glowing Review of Trump
Watch: Jasmine Crockett’s Utterly Bizarre Campaign Kickoff Video Is Nothing but Trump Insulting Her Non-Stop for 45 Seconds
Hollywood star reveals what he thinks of potential Newsom presidency with two-word response
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump critic Jasmine Crockett shakes up Senate race
Trump sells farmer bailout as affordability fix
Fierce Trump critic Jasmine Crockett shakes up high-stakes Senate race
Congress to Withhold Key Funding from Pentagon Until Pete Hegseth Meets Lawmakers’ Demands
Report: Biden Was So Determined to Do the Opposite of Trump That He Ignored Repeated Warnings from His Own Advisers
White House turns up heat on Biden’s economic record as voters sour on ‘affordability’
Former Miss Slovakia says Uber driver kicked her out on busy intersection for being Jewish
Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba resigns as acting US attorney for New Jersey
Luigi Mangione pumps fist in court as body cam allegedly reveals loaded magazine found inside wet underwear
Top Dem Drops Out of Texas Senate Race on Same Day Jasmine Crockett Is Expected to Announce Her Candidacy
Op-Ed: Shocking Teenage Abortion Investigation Shows Weakness of Red-State Abortion Laws
Trump to unleash $12B farm rescue as China trade reset hits US growers
And as part of the course, students have to date three classmates for a month each.
Homework includes going on dates and discussing scenarios such as jealousy and conflict.
Ms Jang designed the curriculum to include dating in the belief that learning from real-life experience is as important as studying theory.
The crude marriage rate – the annual number of marriages per 1,000 people – was 5.5 last year, compared with 295.1 when statistics began in 1970.
Seoul has spent about £50 billion trying to boost the birth rate.
Story cited here.
