In late May, a woman recounted on JTBC's Crime Chief program how her parents were asked by her brother's future in-laws to disclose their assets during a pre-wedding meeting.

Feeling offended, the groom's parents considered canceling the wedding. However, at their son's insistence, they reluctantly provided their financial details.

This practice of vetting prospective in-laws' financial backgrounds is increasingly common in South Korea's matchmaking industry. Duo, a major matchmaking company, offers a specialized service for parents seeking partners for their children, focusing on profession, education, and family financial standing.

Han Won-jung, manager at Gayeon matchmaking company, noted that current profiles always include both parents' occupations and financial conditions. Clients often seek partners from similar backgrounds to prevent imbalances in wedding expenses, housing costs, and future eldercare responsibilities.

Another matchmaking company representative told the Korea Herald that disclosing income and family background early helps clients save time and avoids awkward direct inquiries during dates.

A wedding of a Korean couple in Seoul, 9/2025. *Pexels*.

According to Professor of Psychology Kwak Geum-joo at Seoul National University, beyond a partner's job, income, appearance, and age, Koreans are increasingly scrutinizing their prospective in-laws' education and pension plans.

A 2025 survey by Gayeon of 500 singles aged 25-39 found that 35,4% considered their partner's parents' financial preparedness for retirement a crucial factor. Of these, 20,8% expected prospective in-laws to have stable housing, income, or pensions, while 14,6% would reconsider marriage if the parents were not financially independent.

Women prioritize this issue more than men. A significant 46,4% of women considered their future in-laws' retirement funds a mandatory condition or a reason to cancel a wedding, nearly double the 24,4% reported by men.

In 2/2025, Crime Chief also highlighted the case of a mother whose son, over 30, wished to marry. The mother was initially happy. However, the prospective bride's family had substantial retirement savings and could help their children buy a home, unlike the groom's parents. The bride-to-be conditioned marriage on her boyfriend's parents committing to not seeking future financial support from their children.

"I never intended to ask my children for money, but I still felt hurt to be seen as a burden," the mother stated.

This trend of "scrutinizing" in-laws' finances is also apparent on Blind, an online forum for Korean office workers. The Korea Future Population Research Institute analyzed over 35.200 posts and comments on retirement, pensions, and extending working age from 2018 to 2025.

Results showed that 37,7% of posts about old age directly related to dating and marriage. Discussions on partner selection criteria linked to family financial conditions increased from 25,6% in 2020 to 40,4% in 2023.

Researchers noted a shift in the concept of "mon deung ho doi" (matching family backgrounds). Instead of focusing solely on a partner's parents' social status or profession, young people now directly assess both sets of parents' ability to financially support themselves in old age.

This concern arises from widespread elder poverty in South Korea. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Pensions at a Glance 2025 report revealed that nearly 40% of Koreans over 65 live below the relative poverty line, 2,7 times the bloc's average of 14,8%.

Kim Kyung-rok, Director of Mirae Asset Retirement Research Institute, observed that young people must now make practical calculations before marriage. If both sets of parents lack pensions and savings, the young couple could face 10-15 years of supporting them, hindering their ability to save for their own family.

Ngoc Ngan (According to Seoul Economic Daily, Yonhap, Money Today)