How to Land a Rich Husband or Wife

The end of the year is traditionally a peak time for matchmaking firms to distribute surveys to the press in the hope of attracting more business from bachelors and bachelorettes, and this year is no exception. Here is one of surveys they conducted to find out how to land a super-rich partner.

For men, looks are important. Rich women want their partner to be at least 175 cm tall and good-looking, and prefer high-income doctors with private practices who graduated from medical schools in Seoul. Rich men predictably want stunningly beautiful, tall women, preferably with a master's degree in a fluffy subject like music, art or dance. Their job, if any, is unimportant.

◆ Men

According to the matchmaking firm behind this straw poll, Korea's wealthiest families will consider men who are up to 10 years older than their daughters. Doctors have traditionally been favored as grooms, and those with private practices are especially in demand due to their relatively lax schedules and higher income compared to salaried physicians in hospitals.

Lawyers have also been the traditional favorites, but their popularity has waned due to the proliferation of law schools. Until recently, only a few hundred attorneys were selected by the Justice Ministry each year among those who passed the notoriously tough state-administered bar exam. But their numbers are growing, which means average wages in the profession are not as high as they used to be. Other high-income professions have also been included over the last few years, such as hedge fund managers and stock analysts and even high-income insurance salesmen.

◆ Women

While women with bachelor's or master's degrees in the arts are preferred as brides among wealthy families, their jobs do not matter since rich grooms prefer their brides to raise children at home. But there is a preference for women with some work experience, since this is considered to improve their sociability.

Slender women between 164 to 167 cm and three to four years younger than the groom are considered preferable. Other important factors are foreign language skills, since they believe that this helps with the children's education. Rich families often look into the medical history of a potential bride and her family.

Family background is more important than personal abilities. Rich families look for brides and grooms from families of similar social status because they see marriage not simply as the union of two individuals but of two families. Choices are often made not based on personal happiness, but social status and reputation, which often results in couples splitting up due to family pressure even though they may genuinely love each other.