♪ ♪ these single men and have come here in search lifetime partner. the matchmaking event wa

organized by a buddhist with support from the lo authorities. the participants are all their 30s and early 40s. a growing number of sout koreans who want to get are having trouble findi partne the average age for man is 32, the highest figur of asia. many men say that once t reach their late 30s, fi partner becomes increasi difficult. they say they've been to studying or securing a b job and have had no time pursue a relationship.

many university graduates unable to find immediate employment and those who spend years at improving skills in the hope of la better position. some are only able to find part-time work and it see economy is to blame. for a young man in his 2 30s marriage is simply not option. the older these men get, more difficult it is fin home grown spouse. many are turning their att to women who have defect north korea. many of these women have appeared on television a are drawn to their hones unassuming personalities. the phenomenon has spawn dating agencies about introducing south korean m

north korean women. in this episode of "asia insight" we follow men i quest. a report on the evolving of matchmaking in south ko cochon is a small to central south korea. praying at the local tem thought to bring good co every year some 5,000 me woman come here to pray to find a lifetime partn. praying is good, but the who runs the temple offe more practical approach.

he organizes matchmaking e strictly for people want get married. these events have so far produced 1500 couples. participants begin by registering at a recepti on the temple grounds. 44-year-old oh woo jeong about the event from a f he lives in neighboring . up until his mid-30s he change jobs several time now that he's finally fo stability as a regional official he's ready to get married. he fills out a personal form with details about height, weight, occupati annual income, family ba and assets.

then he describes to the assistant his ideal woma other conditions he migh. from dozens of files the assistant then recommend of women whom she feels good matches. the temple keeps data on m than 15,000 people. if he find a profile of he likes and if the woma

agrees, the assistant wi arrange a meeting. hye chul runs the temple. around ten years ago he helping warshippers find partners. now days he also helps tho from outside his flock. in south korea the numbe single men and women is rise. the issue is of a partic concern among men where

average age for the firs marriage is 32, the high figure in asia. according to government statistics in 1995, only men in their late 30s rema single, but that figure risen to 1 in 5 in just year the increase in unmarrie is contributing to the f birthrate. a topic frequently discu the media as a serious s proble world bank statistics sh in 2012 the south korean fertility rate was 1.3 c it was the second lowest world after mical. the following years it f further. a government report reve growing sense of crisis. it warns the country wil

severe economic and soci consequences if the solu the imbalance in the age p aren't found. in 2006, the government tackling the issue and o next four years spent th equivalent of $20 billio campaign to encourage pe have children. strategies are in the wo eliminate kindergarten f introduce larger child r subsidies yet the birthr keeps dropping. on this day at the templ has been organized for p seeking a partner. it's the first event of kind. the monk thought it was way for people to meet m of the opposite sex. regional government author concerned with raising t birthrate have helped publ the event.

government support for mat making activities like t is a fairly common pract south korea. participants pay only ar $20, the cost of a train join. nine men and four women taking part, all in thei early 40s. the average marrying age south korean women is al rising. one reason is the growing of women seeking a career. all four of the female participants are financi inde

joung kil ho is 39. he found his full-time job two years ago and is now thinking about marriage. the two and a half hour ride brings the tour gro the mountain resort.

it's time for the match activities to begin. monk tries to stir every enthusiasm. to break the ice everyon a famous korean love song. ♪ >> now it's time for sel

>> the women seem much m confident and fo the men. the men out number the w he needs to make sure he miss out on meeting some

the tour continues with trip on the lake. to loosen up even more e joins in a round of kara one of the women appears caught his eye. son mi is a 33-year-old worker. after karaoke the partic are free to engage in conversation. he wastes no time and si himself down next to mi. some of the other men al to talk to her. he doesn't have much cha make an impression.

the end of the tour is approaching. he plucks up the courage her that he wants to get her better. unfortunately, she's spe with another guy. he invites her to come f but the other man taking up all her attent he eventually gives up.

the tour comes to an end. as a result two couples agreed to start dating. reasons for the increasi number of single, unmarr in south korea include s competition for employment caused by an unstable jo and an emphasis on acade hist this chinese restaurant located in the city of e. seo is a 27-year-old uniit graduate and works here part-time.

less than 60% of south k are able to find a full- straight away after gradua seo is one of them. he lives at home with hi parents. he studies english five day. after graduating from ju college he found a job a rehabilitation instructo people with disabilities work was irregular and h income unstable. he decided to enter univer and graduated in february he says it was a lack of e ability that prevented h finding a full-time posi.

he says that in his curr situation he can't start about love and marriage. his parents are concerne the time it's taking the to get married and settl. many south korean men, l take years to find stabl employment and financial security resulting in a la

marriage. a local shopping street seoul. 29-year-old min cheol si alone in this tiny cramp barely getting by on wha earn as a day laborer. he says he was once attr a particular woman. after dropping out of vo school he couldn't only short term contracts but

was dismissed for lack of and experience. reportedly one in five y people is employed on a of less than a year. now a day laborer, he wo around ten days a month an earns between 400 and $6. his room is just over thre square meters. his monthly rent is arou in the communal kitchen prepares some instant no for lunch. he lives as frugally as .

he feels stuck and findsha to take any initiative. he says love and marriag remain an unfulfilled dr television appearances b north korean defectors a the rage in south korea e days. more and more men are se such women as potential partners. this show helps transfore negative image of north women. the guests down to earth personalities are attrac lot of attention. over the past few years

growing number of dating agencies have started of match making services to korean women. every year some 2,000 no korean defectors arrive in korea. 70% are women and most a their 20s and 30s. a thousand north korean wo are registered with this currently there's only a 200 south korean male memb but the agency says that f is increasing by 20% eac. women can register for f men have to pay an annual around $3,000 and can me five women. company president, hong woo is speaking to a north korean woman about a pot .

the perspective husband' conditions are explained woman. it's up to her to decide she wants to meet him. the woman defected from no korea four years ago. she's 30 and has never m match making agencies sa marrying a local man is easiest way for north ko women to fit into south society.

his wife is originally f north korea. she's also the company's presiden kim jong ho is registere the agency. after working as a taxi truck driver, the 38-yea began working as a used salesman just over a yea he says that the ongoing recession is affecting s

he's dated several south k women in the past but it worked out well. during lunch he checks t profile of a perspective from the north korean ma making a she's 35 years old and 1 centimeters tall.

he doesn't have very hig but he's agreed to the mng any way. the rendezvous takes pla coffee shop suggested by agency. he arrives 30 minutes ea waits patiently.

the woman comes from a p family. she fled from north kore china when she was 22 to earn some money to send home. she spent the next ten y living in various places. after realizing it was t dangerous to return to n korea she decided to set south kore the pair talk for 30 min seem to be enjoying each company.

as the number of unmarri people in south korea co to increase, match making be the key to reversing th country's falling fertilit while offering single me women some hope of findi partner and living happi after.

welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of stories we're foll hour. fatal blast. taiwanese thortsz expect a massive gas leak exploded in a large city that's killed fragile truce, a 72-ho cease-fire between islamic militants is in following a new round of fighting. and chinese authorities are