Price
Monthly Subscriptions starting at $10.00 per month
Profiles
1000's of profiles, many of which are active. .
Security
Part of Cupid Media's circle of dating sites which have a good reputation, low instance of romance scams.
Allows Direct Contact?
Yes
Summary
Korean Cupid is one of the largest dating sites that connects foreign men from around the world with Korean women.
The site is run by Cupid Media, a company that has an over 18 year old reputation for providing honest international and niche dating sites. Korean Cupid has next to none fake profiles, but you should still exercise caution when communicating with women online.
All in all the site is a great option for anyone serious about meeting women in South Korea.
My one experience with Korean women was when I was working as a civilian on a US Air Force base. The company I worked for processed the luggage and serviced incoming aircraft from other countries (usually diplomatic flights). We worked on a South Korean airline ( I can't remember which one), and I will never forget the stewardesses on that flight.
I worked Korean planes several times and I'm not exaggerating when I say that the women on them were some of the most beautiful and elegant women I've ever seen, (and I'm not huge into Asian women). From what I understand Korean airlines are very picky about the physique and demeanor of their stewardesses so I don't know if the femininity of the flight attendants carries over to most women in the country.
Being a stewardess in South Korea is no joke
Still if you tell me that you want to date and meet women in Korea, I completely understand.
South Korea's dating scene can be tough nut to crack
In many ways Korean culture is very different from the West (this is good for most guys interested in dating internationally), but sometimes that difference makes it hard to meet and date women in the country.
Similar to some other Asian countries (like Japan for example), foreigners in South Korea tend to be thought of as outsiders, making it hard to strike up a serious date with a Korean woman.
As a foreigner dating Korean women can be difficult
Most Korean women date within their established social circle meeting potential romantic partners through mutual friends or through an introduction from a family member. If you're fresh off the plane the odds are stacked pretty high and they're not in your favor.
There is also the possibility of a language barrier. South Korea does have a moderate level of English proficiency as a nation, ranking higher than countries such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Still it's highly likely the first beautiful woman in Korea you meet may not know English.
Is dating in South Korea hopeless as a foreigner?
No. Truth be told, striking starting serious relationship with a Korean woman might not be the easiest thing for a foreign non-asian guy, but if you're visiting this site you might notice that we take a measure of pride on the road less travelled.
Korean Cupid aims to help foreign men connect with Korean women, and it's a viable option for any man looking to travel to the country. In this review we'll look at some of the site's features, its pros and cons, as well as give some helpful advice on how to make your dream of dating honest Korean women a reality.
Features
On the surface Korean Cupid works much like any other dating site. You can sign up for a free account, make a profile, and search through the profiles of the women. With a premium account you can start contacting and chatting with other members on the site.
A walk through of the search engine used on all Cupid Media sites
App
The site is also available on mobile through the IPhone and Android app stores.The App is free to download and retains same functions as the full site.
Subscription levels
There are 3 possible subscription levels for Korean Cupid: Standard, Gold, and Premium.
Standard subscription (free)
The standard subscription is free. All that's required is your name and email address. At the standard level you can browse and search profiles, express interest, and communicate with women who have a paid subscription (most will not).
Platinum subscription
A platinum subscription gives you all the perks from the gold level in addition to providing you with some advantages over other members.
This includes things like ranking your profile over other profiles, highlighting your profile, providing more space for you to write in your profile, and (most notably) translation of messages into your native language.
Which level is the best value?
Generally we recommend the gold level subscription. For the most part the platinum features are more of a novelty than a necessity. I don't think it's a huge deal having your profile featured above others in the site's search if you will be messaging women directly.
The translation feature was probably more useful 5 or more years ago before the advent of Google Translate. Also we're not big on dating women with whom you can't readily have a conversation with without using a translator. This is because it helps protect you from being scammed, and it also makes for a better dating experience (not to mention it can save you form spending the money to hire a personal translator in the country).
Honesty
Korean Cupid is operated by Cupid Media, an Australian company which has been running over 30 niche dating sites since 2000. All Cupid Media sites use a flat rate monthly subscription which eliminates the risk of PPL scams. The company also has systems in place to detect fake profiles and scammers, though how preemptive these systems are I'm not sure.
The main point is that the objective of Korean Cupid is to be a legitimate dating site, there's none of the shady tactics used by scam sites.
"Negotiating through the website I see that Cupid passes my first and most important test: they allow direct contact with the women on the website. The worst type of dating agency is one that requires communication between you and the women you contact to be funneled through the agency. Most websites that limit your contact with the women that you are talking to do so because their ladies profiles are fake or they want to “lead you on” in order to get more sales from you"
Profiles
Advantage of Women interested in foreigners
One huge advantage of using Korean Cupid is that the women on the site are likely interested in dating foreign men (why else would they be on an international dating site?). This means that they are more likely to speak English, be open to a serious relationship, and (if things go really well) relocate.
I haven't come across fake profiles
A lot of dating sites (Cupid Media sites included) have problems with scammers setting up fake profiles and mass messaging users in the hopes to lure them into a scam. On Korean Cupid there's a conspicuous absence of fakes.
This is probably because romance scammers are more likely to use sites for countries that have poorer economies. South Korea isn't exactly a third world nation.
Now this doesn't mean that there aren't any scammers on the site, there very well could be. As always use your brain, follow our commandments of international dating, and watch out for red flags.
Best way to use Korean Cupid
Below we've outlined a step by step process for using KC to connect with, and eventually meet women in Korea.
Note: this example runs on a 12 week timeline. Feel free to modify it according to you needs. Just remember that the point is to contact women for the purpose of arranging dates face to face in the real world. Don't get stuck chatting to ladies for months only to never visit them!
Phase 1: 12-6 Weeks before your trip
Create a basic list of requirements
The first thing you want to do is to create a general list of criteria for the type of woman you want to meet. emphasis on the word general here. We don't mean pick out things like eye color, height, and occupation.
You should make a list of the basic requirements you'll use to sift through the 1,000s of profiles on KC. Things like age range, whether she has kids or not, relationship status (divorced, widowed, etc), religion, and English level should make up your list.
A Friendly Reminder: Only date women you can communicate with
We advise men to only date women they can easily communicate with in person. Unless you know a foreign language this means dating women with a good level of English.
We advise this because it eliminates the need for hiring a translator; which not only saves you money, but makes you much less vulnerable to the "professional dater" type scams.
Now that you have your list, create a free basic profile on Korean Cupid. Use your requirements to search for women on the site. Make sure that their is a good number of active women on the site who live in or near the city you plan on traveling to.
Verify your city and dating site
If there are enough women who meet your criteria go ahead and green light your trip and purchase your travel arrangements.
If there aren't enough women in the city you chose, try searching near a different city. With other sites I normally recommend that if you can't find enough women in the area you want to travel to, you should try a different site altogether. But in this case you shouldn't have a problem finding a decent number of members on KC. The site has so many active profiles.
Phase 2: 6-4 weeks before your trip
For the next two weeks you want to start putting together the pieces of your personal profile, which you will post to KC once you purchase a premium membership.
This part is a bit more important than most guys think. You site profile is the virtual equivalent of a first impression. Just as there are 1,000's of women on KC, you can bet there are a lot of men using the site too.
How to make a good (virtual) impression
You want to use your profile pics, description, and introductory letter to help you stand out from the pack.
Photos
Typically most guys on dating sites take a series of selfies on their cell phone, post them on the site, and call it a day. There's nothing wrong with having 1 or 2 natural type photos that aren't all that glamorous, but all your photos shouldn't look like that.
You can do better
To be honest you should probably avoid the whole selfie idea all together. Odds are that you know someone with a half way decent digital camera. Put on a nice shirt and have them take some shots of you.
You don't have to get too fancy with things, just get two portraits, a full body pic, and maybe a candid action shot showing you playing a sport or dressed up for a party (pick something you normally do). Putting in this little bit of extra effort will go a long way toward helping you stand out from the other guys on the site.
Remember:
Ladies on dating sites often put up with a lot of creeps and sleazy guys. Just as you don't want to be bombarded with scammers and bots, a woman doesn't want to bombarded with tasteless or over sexualized messages.
Go the extra mile and to make your profile standout because in the end that's what you would want a woman to do for you.
Profile description tips
Most profiles list desires, hobbies, interests, and something about life style. There's nothing wrong with any of that. One tip here though is to try to get specific when talking about these things.
Many guys will put that they like movies (who doesn't?), you should list some of your favorite movies or genres of film. A lot of guys might say they want a woman with family values. What if you said you value a woman who brings warmth and love to the home? Do you see the pattern here? Be honest, but also be specific.
The introductory letter
Honestly we could write an entire post on how to write an introductory letter (we probably will soon). Because you will be contacting numerous women it's best to write a general introductory letter that you can use as a template.
More or less the letter can follow this pattern. Each item should be about a paragraph long:
- 1Hello I'm....(basic biographical info: age, where you live, height, weight, lifestyle, education, career, religion, etc.)
- 2Paint a picture: Description what you enjoy about your life and lifestyle, and things you do in your city. Give the woman an glimpse into what life would be like with you.
- 3I'm looking for more: Your life is good, but you need/want a ___ woman because____.....(what attributes/character traits are you looking for?)
- 4I'm serious: Talk about how you're a man on a mission and don't want to waste time on online romance. Mention your upcoming trip and its purpose.
- 5Ask her for contact info: This is the part where you transition and ask the woman if she would be willing to contact you and see if there's any chemistry between you.
This is a general outline, but you should get the idea.
Now don't go copy and pasting this template verbatim, and then start spamming every pretty woman you see on the site. Use the template as, well....a template. You should be reading a looking over each profile you message. Incorporate something personal or specific to a woman's profile in your letter to her.
Phase 3: 4 weeks- trip date
This is where you sign up for a premium subscription on Korean Cupid, upload your photos and personal info, and start contacting ladies.
Use the general requirements list you made earlier to inform your search. Be honest and realistic, and stay clear of any red flags.
You'll want to send out a lot of introduction letters, as not all women will respond or be interested in contacting you. If you're taking your time and reviewing each profile like you should, this could take a while.
Make sure the women know that you're planning on meeting multiple women in their city, but that you will only pursue the one you have the most chemistry with.
At this point you should know when you'll be in town so give the dates to the ladies who are interested in meeting you and start arranging dates .
Phase 4: the trip
This is where your hard work, planning, and research pay off! enjoy your dates with the ladies, and always deal honestly with them. If you feel there is chemistry between you and a woman tell her, and ask her if she feels the same way.
If you don't feel things clicking then be honest and tell the lady at the end of your date (make sure you thank her too!).
What other people say about Korean Cupid
"Of course, there are always a bunch of guys who scream “scam!” whenever their expectations are not met. Here are the two most common spam complaints about Korean Cupid that you can find on various forums:
“The girls look too beautiful. They can’t be real. It’s a scam!”
“I only got 5 replies. This site is a scam!”
Yes, these girls look (too) beautiful. Curse the fact that South Korea has the world’s highest rate of plastic surgery.
Yes, you might only get a few replies. Curse the fact that meeting Thai women and Filipinas is a lot easier.
But no matter how much you curse, it doesn’t mean that this Korean dating site is a scam."
I’m honest.
It’s harder to meet Korean women than it is to meet Thai women, Filipinas and Japanese women. I would go so far and say that Korea is the most difficult country in Asia…
…but it’s also the country with the most beautiful women.
What can I say?
Real men don’t hide from challenges. They embrace them.
And you don’t need to be afraid to embrace this challenge because the Cupid Media Group, the company behind this dating site, is legit.
They are so legit that I found the love of my life on one of their international dating sites. True story.
"Though Korean Cupid actively screen for scammers, you’ll still find fake profiles. But it is not difficult to identify fame profiles, those with only one or two attractive picture posted or poorly written profile tend to scammers, stay away from them.
All and all, Korean Cupid is one of the best Korean dating sites in existence. You’ll find lots of real local women hoping to meet a foreign gentleman. I highly recommend this site to anyone who is interested in making friends or dating with Korean women."
Alternatives to Korean Cupid
Asian Dating is a sister site of Korean Cupid (both are under the umbrella of Cupid Media). The site features women from Korea as well as from other countries in Asia. There aren't as many Korean profiles as on KC, but there are enough on the site that it's worth taking a look. If anything Asian Dating can work well as a complement to KC in order to meet more women.
I love the idea of using a dating site like Korean Cupid, picking a city, and going off on my own to meet foreign ladies; but the amount of work, logistics, and fear of the unknown can be a turn off for some guys. If you want a way that is more secure and to the point, and if you're okay with substituting Korean women for Thai women, then there may be a better option for you.
The company I'm about to talk about here solves those problems. They take care of your entire trip (minus airfare), and provide everything you need to meet serious Thai women. All you have to do is show up.
Dream Connections is an American based company started by the American/Ukrainian couple Mark and Ana Davis. The company is unique in that they function more like an introduction/matchmaking agency than a romance tour agency (which is good because I don't trust most romance tours).
Each tour has about 15-20 guys and up to 100 or so local ladies. The company screens both men and women for relational intent and basic background information.
They also feature a unique system where each man has a personal translator/personal assistant for the trip. The dating starts off with a series of short speed dating sessions after which men are free to contact interested ladies and go on dates apart from the group.
Conclusion
Unless you speak Korean, Korean Cupid is the foremost option for meeting and connecting with honest Korean women online. The site is the largest to connect Men around the world with women from Korea.
Korean Cupid also has a low instance of fake profiles, making it safer than most international datings sites, though as always you ought to use your head while using the site.