Global dating site Ashley Madison announced that despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, interest and desire for married people to find new relationships grew over the last year. In addition, the dating site plans to strengthen customer service in Korea with a goal of achieving 1.2 million domestic users by the end of 2022.

According to the company‘s 2020 Membership Report, 5.5 million new members joined the service last year.

In Korea, an average of 512 new members joined each month. In particular, the gender ratio of active users was 1:1, revealing that women are as enthusiastic as men when it comes to finding new relationships.

Moreover, new dates continued regardless of increased time spent at home. According to a survey of its members on the impact of the pandemic on their marriage and extramarital relationships, 95 percent responded that they still want to find new relationships and continue their extramarital relationships. The study also found that 84 percent of respondents saw extramarital relationships as a part of self-care and reported that they got energy from those relationships.

“Even during the lockdown, Ashley Madison reached 70 million cumulative users by the end of 2020, proving that there is a worldwide interest in forming new relationships,” said Paul Keable, CSO of Ashely Madison.

“As seen in Korea, where there is a higher ratio of female users, more and more independent women are looking for new relationships through Ashley Madison. We will make sure to provide a space for them along with any adults wanting to meet new people.”

By Gha Hee-sun (lizka98@heraldcorp.com)