Braving the freezing cold and safety concerns, thousands of young singles gathered at a recreational park in central Seoul to find their Mr. and Ms. Rights on Christmas Eve.

Korea’s largest outdoor blind date called “Solo Battle” was held in Yeouido Park, though there were fewer-than-expected participants amid the chilly weather. 

In the morning, the mercury hit minus 14 degrees Celsius, the lowest this winter.

“I am looking forward to finding a date. I have a little hope that I can find the one among this many people,” said a 27-year-old woman at the event.

The rule is that men in white clothing and women in red ask each other to take a walk while wandering around the park.

Initially men were supposed to hold the wrist of the women. The rule was changed for safety reasons.

Even an hour before the matchmaking event held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., people in red and white and some in costumes packed the park which was still covered with snow.

Hundreds of policemen were dispatched to prevent possible violations and sexual harassment.

Around 40,000 singles signed up to participate in the romantic mob gathering first suggested by an SNS user. It also attracted some celebrities and scores of corporate sponsors.

Many people doubted whether the event would really be held while others also criticized the event for being too commercialized, warning that female participants could fall victims to sexual crimes.

An after-party followed at a plaza near Mecenatpolis, a shopping complex in the Hapjeong district.

Park officials said several times that they would not allow massive commercial events in the park.

But the organizer insisted that the mass blind date was not commercial one but just a flash-mob-style event which certainly does not break the law.

Similar gatherings were also held in major cities including Busan, Daejeon and Gwangju.

“Six out of 10 would be men among way more than 1,000 participants,” according to the event organizer Nim Yeon Si, an abbreviation for “you just started dating” in Korean.

Han Kil-woo, 40, a director from Nim Yeon Si, said the group plans to hold three similar events including one held in cooperation with groups and private firms in other countries.

“We (Nim Yeon Si) planned to hold an international mass blind date next Christmas Eve in cities like New York, Berlin, and Paris,” said Han, who once organized a street parade during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

An event for couples in May and a camping event for matchmaking are also scheduled.

“The events are about love which is a universal language, not about money,” Han said.

“I wish that something similar could be held in Japan. It’s fun,” said Sasaki, 30, a female participant from Japan.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)