SINGAPOREANS who are single and ready to explore becoming attached can take a page from South Korea’s vibrant dating scene and embrace dating agencies, said Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo.

Singles in Singapore tend to be shy about getting help to date or look for a partner, even when they cannot find someone themselves.

But Koreans are generally open about dating and are more willing to approach commercial agencies, said Mrs Teo, who oversees population matters and is on a week-long trip to South Korea and Denmark to study how each country encourages marriage and parenthood.

“Single Koreans may be discreet in not openly advertising the fact but, if asked, they won’t deny it either,” she said in a Facebook post yesterday at the end of the South Korean leg of her trip.

“Starting early, proactively reaching out to meet new friends, openness to getting help, and having a relaxed attitude all seem to be the essential ingredients to enjoyable and successful dating. Can this style of dating help more Singaporean singles, perhaps?”

Mrs Teo, who had been in South Korea since Sunday, visits Denmark next.

Singaporeans and Koreans are marrying later in life which has contributed to the low birth rates in both countries.

In 2014, Singapore had a total fertility rate of 1.25 while Korea’s figure was 1.21 that same year. By encouraging dating, the hope is that more singles will pair up, tie the knot and eventually have children.

One way of doing so is through dating agencies, an industry which is well-established in Korea.

Its more than 1,000 dating agencies are found mostly in the capital Seoul, and it is not uncommon for parents to sign their single children up at these places.

The largest agency, Duo, offers specialised services such as professional dating coaches and “couple managers”, who counsel couples working on their relationship or who want to get married.

More than 32,000 people have been married after meeting up through Duo since it began operating in the mid-1990s.

Mrs Teo visited Duo’s headquarters in the glitzy Gangnam neighbourhood, which was made popular by Korean hip-hop artiste Psy’s 2012 hit song, Gangnam Style.

Making reference to this, Mrs Teo said in her Facebook post: “Dating ‘Gangnam style’ may be deliberate but still fairly cheerful and relaxed, and very often aided by family, friends or professionals.”

One agency success story which Mrs Teo cited in her post is that of newlywed Kim Minhye, 34, who is pursuing her PhD in sociology at the National University of Singapore and shuttles back and forth between Korea and Singapore.

“I was very much into work and studying, and at some point it just wasn’t enough,” Ms Kim said of her decision to sign up with a dating agency in Korea about two years ago.

After uploading her profile, she was matched with a bespectacled engineer who is four years older than her.

Recounting how her Singaporean colleagues reacted when she told them that she met her husband through a dating agency, Ms Kim told reporters here: “Everybody looked at me really, really surprised. They said it’s highly stigmatised in Singapore.”

“In Korea, the stigma is still there but not as much.

“Practically, there are no other ways to meet people so we accept it.”

charyong@sph.com.sg

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Four Singaporeans have been arrested under the Internal Security Act for engaging or intending to take part in violence abroad.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said yesterday that Mohammad Razif Yahya, 27, and Amiruddin Sawir, 53, were detained in August last year for voluntarily fighting in Yemen’s armed sectarian conflict while at a religious institution there.

Mohamed Mohideen Mohamed Jais, 25, had also done armed sentry duties there and was issued with a Restriction Order (RO), which limits his activities, this month.

Unlike previous announcements of terror-related arrests, none of the four picked up was planning to join the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

But in the first known case of its kind, Wang Yuandongyi, 23, was planning to join a Kurdish militia fighting against ISIS.

He left Singapore in January this year for a third country, and intended to make his way to Turkey and Syria.

He took along Singapore Armed Forces-issued military gear like his uniform and boots.

The ministry said investigations showed that Wang began to empathise with the plight of the Kurds in Syria and started detesting ISIS late last year.

He was also looking to escape from setbacks, such as a failed business venture.

In December, he got in touch with a Kurdish militia group online and discussed possible travel routes. His plans were thwarted when someone reported him to the authorities.

At Singapore’s request, he was located by the authorities of the third country and returned to Singapore. Wang was placed on a RO this month.

“The Government takes a stern view against anyone who supports, promotes, undertakes or makes preparations to undertake armed violence, regardless of how they rationalise such violence ideologically, or where the violence takes place,” the ministry said.

It noted that though Wang was not driven by ideology to fight abroad, the fact remains that he intended to engage in an armed conflict overseas.

“Geography does not mask the fact that such individuals would have demonstrated a dangerous tendency to support the use of violence,” the ministry added.

“Their involvement in overseas conflicts can also jeopardise Singapore’s national interests, including our bilateral relations. They are deemed to pose a threat to Singapore’s security, and will be firmly dealt with in accordance with our laws.”

The ministry noted that Razif had begun studying in a religious institution in Yemen in January 2010, and Amiruddin went there in July 2013.

The two signed up for armed sentry duties against possible attacks by Houthi rebels, who are Shi’ites.

Razif went through sniper training, and was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and a Dragunov sniper rifle. Amiruddin was equipped with an AK-47 rifle. Both were involved in fighting the Houthis.

“Razif and Amiruddin were prepared to kill and be killed as ‘martyrs’ in the sectarian conflict in Yemen,” the ministry said.

“They have demonstrated a readiness to use violence to pursue their religious cause. As such, they are assessed to pose a security threat to Singapore,” it added.

As for Mohideen, he did armed sentry duties while studying in Yemen from 2009 to early 2011.

While he did not use his arms, he “understood that he had to return fire using the AK-47 assigned to him, with the aim to kill if there was an incursion by the Houthis”.

Security analyst Susan Sim said the Government’s stand was clear. “Once a person gets used to the idea of killing to achieve objectives he has decided for himself – what’s to stop him from doing the same thing in Singapore?”

yanliang@sph.com.sg

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