On Dec. 24, 2012, thousands of single men and women gathered in places like Yeouido Park and Gwanghwamoon to have a blind date. This event called “Solo Battle” was held in fifteen cities including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Jeju in Korea. The purpose of the event was to combine them into couples to have a great time in Christmas Eve. The object seemed fresh, but some problems occurred.
It all started through a popular SNS, Facebook. Two guys wrote words saying, “Solo brothers and sisters, let’s have a big Christmas meeting.” People started to show interest on this and as comedians, racing models, and celebrities revealed a sign of participation, the number of participants increased geometrically.
The problem was that because it was an event created by an ordinary citizen, plans about security and sex ratio were done poorly. Later, a thousand police officers were said to be deployed in the places where events were held. But people, especially women, who were afraid of sexual crimes eventually didn’t attend the event. As a result, the participants’ sex ratio did not match. And in fact, Yeouido Park managers didn’t give any permission and even warned that they will sue the promoters.
However, some estimate that it was a nice try of planning such a pleasant event. As the number of couples increase, it sure will stimulate more consumption and make a better growth in economy. Also, it could be another solution to the low birthrate.
About this issue, Dongju Kim, a freshman in Sehwa High School, said, “Because this kind of meeting could give a chance of sexual crime, the government should take action or else, it must not be held.” In the other hand, Bumjun Park, a freshman in Sehwa High School, said, “If everybody cares a little more about their safety, I think this kind of event could be very pleasant and meaningful.”
As a response to the disappointing but intriguing event, the promoters of “Solo Battle” are now planning a new similar event, “Couple Battle,” which will be held in May 4, 2013. What the promoters should keep in mind seems to be the security and how systematic the event is going to be.
