There are quite many Asian societies where women have leaned towards marrying foreigners for centuries. South Korea, however, isn’t Thailand or the Philippines. Its society remained homogenous for quite a long time, but just like any other society in the world, it couldn’t avoid globalization.
Higher intermarriage rates were one of its consequences. More and more South Korean women consciously choose foreign husbands, so now we can say, yes, Korean mail-order brides are real. What distinguishes them from all other women? Do marriages with them work, and how much does it cost to find a Korean wife? Read on to find out.
Korean mail-order bride sites & dating websites 2024
There are top sites designed to help Westerners find an Asian wife. Some of such niche platforms have great user bases in Korea. Our experts joined, tested all the most promising websites, and chose the best options, so take a look.
SakuraDate
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EasternHoneys
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NaomiDate
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Why do some Korean women decide to become mail-order brides?
Let’s start with the definition.
Korean brides, like Vietnamese mail order brides, are single women who, each for a certain reason, want to meet, date, and marry foreign men. These women aren’t for sale, and they don’t receive any financial compensation or benefit from their marriages in any other way.
Their main goal is to find a compatible partner, build an emotional connection with him online first, meet him in real life, and if everything goes well, marry him. Migration to a husband’s country is often seen as a side effect and not the main benefit.
If so, what makes local girls become Korean mail-order wives? Most frequently, the reasons are as follows:
- Physical attraction to foreigners
- Cultural impact, desire to try something new
- Desire to start a family now, and not after years of dating without any guarantee
- Desire to find a responsible partner
- Adventurousness, protest against old values
Also, negative previous relationship experiences are another common reason for choosing this path.
Why do men look for a Korean wife?
Undoubtedly, Korean women are very attractive. But one thing is fantasizing about someone or searching for a girlfriend from another country, and another is searching for a soulmate and a future spouse.
Men make such a decision for multiple reasons, and here are the most important of them:
- Beauty. Yes, though beauty isn’t the only reason why men are intentionally searching for Korean mail-order wives, it’s still one of the primary things that attracts them. A lot of Koreans are really obsessed with beauty. They have very expensive skincare routines, eat healthy, do sports, wear stylish and fancy clothes, and look incredibly young.
- Self-worth and confidence. You definitely shouldn’t underestimate local women. They may seem shy but in fact, that’s just part of the culture. That’s how they praise their femininity, but once you chat with a local woman for a longer time, you’ll notice that they are actually very confident and definitely won’t tolerate mistreatment of any kind.
- Intelligence and education. The competition in Korea is high not only when it comes to beauty and style. Most local women work hard to achieve success. Young women enter and graduate from universities, read, and improve their skills in every sphere of life to meet their ambitions.
- Manners and charm. Great manners are reflected in everything—voice, gestures, walk, speech. They distinguish South Korean women from everyone else and make them absolutely irresistible in the eyes of most men.
Also, South Koreans are great planners. They have strong family values despite being most willing to get married at an older age and are great dedicated mothers.
Find Korean women online
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Where and how to find a Korean bride
Men meet their Korean wives everywhere, but all the options still fall under two main categories—online means of communication and various places in real life. Which is better? Take a look at the options and make your decision.
Ways to meet a Korean bride online:
- Mainstream dating apps. Tinder and local apps like Wippy are quite good and popular among Koreans. Messaging is often free, too. But consider that on such apps, locals are mostly looking for locals.
- Niche dating sites. These are Asian mail-order bride sites and international dating platforms for Asians and Westerners. The target audience is the right one, there are a lot of useful features, and profiles are detailed. However, they are never free. But there you can find a Chinese wife, a Filipino mail-order bride, or a Thai wife.
- Social media. You may try approaching South Koreans on Facebook, Instagram, or other sites. It’s free, but you’ll need more time and a lot of luck to achieve success.
Ways to meet a Korean bride offline:
If you want to meet a Korean girlfriend offline, you can go to Korea and stay for quite a long time to meet more locals and maybe find someone. You may also consider migration to South Korea. Or you can just search for members of the South Korean community if you are living in a big city with a lot of immigrants.
The first two options are expensive, though, and don’t guarantee the result, so most men still prefer to search for brides online, mostly on niche websites.
Success stories of men who married Korean women
John
I married a Korean 6 years ago. We still live happily together and have two wonderful kids. But if I had to give a piece of advice to those who are going to marry a Korean girl, I’d say just don’t expect it to be an easy ride. You’ll learn Korean. It won’t be easy. You’ll learn all the traditions. You’ll need to accept the fact she’ll always be patriotic and overly protective of all other Koreans. For me, it was worth it and still is worth it every single day. She makes me smile and stays with me at the hardest time. She’s the best mom. I would start it all over again if I had to. Again, just don’t expect it to always be easy.
Roy
I hate K-pop, but I don’t really like women who look childish. I love mature beauty. Surprisingly, I found a perfect match in Korea. We just got married, and I guess I feel happier than ever before in my life. We met online. She looked hot and mature, ran her own business, and was fun as hell. We had that connection immediately so I went to Seoul. I had dreamed of visiting to meet her offline. It was 2 years of long-distance dating after that, and it’s finally officially over. Our families get along quite well together, our relationship is happy and healthy. She’s a woman, I’m a man, and everyone respects each other’s interests and freedom. I guess that’s the secret.
What is the average cost of Korean mail-order brides?
Every man can meet Korean brides online quite easily. However, no one can literally mail-order a Korean woman. There are no catalogs with girls at fixed prices. That’s just another myth.
So, Korean women for marriage are “free,” while dating services, trips, and visas aren’t. That’s why people still use the term “mail-order bride cost,” and here’s what it usually consists of.
| Cost of using one of the top premium Korean dating sites (for 6 months) | $600 |
| Round-trip flight (New York-Seoul) | $1,400 |
| 3 weeks in South Korea (hotel, meals, transportation, entertainment) | $2,100 |
| Visa for a bride | $1,000 |
| Optional spending on romance | $1,000 |
| Total | $6,100 |
Note this is the minimum cost, mostly because we considered the best-case scenario with only one trip to Korea. Still, you may cut some costs or, instead, increase your spending. If you want to make conscious, rational choices, learn how the major costs are formed.
1. Meeting Korean girls for marriage online: Costs on top niche websites
As we’ve noted previously, there are quite many ways to meet Korean singles. But if you choose the most effective one and settle on a niche website, you won’t be able to buy monthly plans. In most cases, you’ll need to get credits or coins and spend them on premium services (chatting, letters, gifts, video and phone calls, etc.) whatever they are.
Prices may be very, very different.
On one site, you’ll be able to get 35 credits for $2.99 and pay 20 credits for 10 minutes of messaging. On some sites, you’ll be able to get 100 credits for $0.15 but chatting will cost you a hundred times more credits.
That’s why it’s so important to:
- Consider the pricing policy of a particular website.
- Test the free features, claim your bonus, and spend it to see how much dating will cost you.
- Use only the most cost-effective communication features.
- Focus on your best matches only.
All in all, most members of top niche sites spend $100 a month on average. If you choose such a platform and spend half a year on this site, you’ll spend $600 on online dating. Again, the cost can be a bit lower or much higher. Everything will depend on your choices.
2. Real-life dates: Price of the vacation in South Korea
Finding a wife in Korea is more expensive than in most other Asian countries, precisely because of the higher cost of trips.
We provided the cost of one trip, but very few men decided to marry Korean women after they first met online. So, there are likely to be more trips.
The total cost will depend on:
- Their frequency and duration (longer yet less frequent trips are more beneficial as you can cut the costs of tickets).
- Your traveling preferences—hotels, types of entertainment, restaurants, etc.
- Your spending on romance offline.
- The time when you go to Korea (impacts the cost of tickets, hotels, entertainment).
You may also consider meeting each other in a cheaper country if it’s convenient for both of you and if your girlfriend will cover her travel expenses herself. That’s rarely the case, though. Anyway, we’d recommend taking a trip sooner to find out if you have a future together and make serious decisions faster.
3. When it’s time to make things official: Cost of a visa
Visas aren’t so expensive, especially compared to trips. For example, if a Korean woman and her American boyfriend apply for a K-1 visa to the US (the best choice for a mail-order bride), they’ll spend $1,000 on all fees and exams. If a bride has children, the costs will be higher as they will need to get K-2 visas to migrate with their mom.
4. Spending on romance: Optional or necessary?
There’s no specific price you need to spend on romance. Moreover, Korean women on dating sites won’t expect you to shower them with gifts. However, small romantic gifts are much appreciated in Korea, and there are more romantic holidays than just Valentine’s Day (we’d definitely recommend doing deeper research on them).
So, add at least $500-$1000 to your expenditure list. Note that if you’re going to have a big wedding in Korea, the US, or another country, you’d better consider it from the very beginning, too.
Legal aspects of marrying a Korean mail-order bride
Note that there are no specific requirements for Korean marriage migrants or marriage migrants who have met their American partners online. That’s just a myth. In reality, an American citizen who’s met his Korean bride online just files the petition for Alien Fiancé(e), and a bride then applies for a K-1 visa.
The couple, however, must be able to prove that they have a genuine romantic relationship and that a woman isn’t trying to enter the country with the sole purpose of staying in the United States. Also, partners will need to provide evidence that they’ve met in real life.
Pros and cons of marrying a Korean woman
Of course, it’s impossible to distinguish the objective benefits and drawbacks of dating someone from one particular country. These will be subjective generalizations. Still, if you’re considering finding a Korean mail-order bride but can’t make a final choice, the lists below may help you develop realistic expectations and make the right decision.
Pros
- Korean women are some of the most beautiful women in Asia and in the entire world.
- Family isn’t an empty sound to Koreans, so a Korean wife will do everything and even more to keep the family together.
- Korean women are loving and caring mothers.
- They are quite educated and can be intellectually challenging partners in the best sense possible.
- Most express love through care, cooking, and turning your home into the coziest place ever.
Cons
- Material things are important to most Korean women who expect men to be able to provide for their families.
- You’ll need to get her parents’ approval in any case.
- You’ll always need to plan things.
- You’ll need to overcome the long-distance phase, cultural barriers, and language barriers.
These are the basics. If you tolerate the cons and absolutely appreciate the pros, Korea might be the right place for you to find love.
Quick tip
Take this step only if you like the culture. I mean, you’ll need to learn Korean at least at a very basic level. You’ll need to accept most Korean customs and traditions. You’ll eat a lot of Korean food. That can make someone absolutely happy and just won’t work out for another man. Decide who you are and then decide whether you should find a Korean wife.
