1/5 of Brides Now Older Than Their Groom

A total of 30,853 women who married last year were older than their husband, Statistics Korea said Sunday. That was a record 18.5 percent of total first marriages, compared to just 8.8 percent 30 years ago.

Some 16.2 percent of all young couples were the same age, so in only 65.3 percent the man was still older.

When it comes to second marriages more than 20 percent of the brides have been older since 2014, rising to 21.3 percent last year, when 612 were at least 10 years older.

The main reason behind is that the younger generation are simply not that fussed about such age gaps now that Confucian values of seniority are fading. Another factor is that many young men prefer a financially independent older woman.