81% of Koreans want to marry, compared to 58% of Japanese: survey

A recent survey conducted in June and July found that a majority of young Koreans are interested in marriage, with 81.4 percent expressing a desire to tie the knot. In comparison, only 57.6 percent of young Japanese respondents shared the same sentiment, according to a bilateral committee established last year to address low birth rates and aging societies in both countries. The committee, co-headed by the chiefs of each nation's Chamber of Commerce & Industry, surveyed 2,000 Koreans and 2,000 Japanese aged 20 to 39.

Interestingly, 18.6 percent of Koreans reported having no interest in ever getting married, while 42.4 percent of Japanese respondents felt the same way. When asked about their ideal number of children, 52.6 percent of Koreans favored having two, followed by 17 percent who preferred one child and 7.3 percent who wanted three or more. Among Japanese, the most popular choice was two children at 28.9 percent, with 12.2 percent opting for three or more and 9.4 percent choosing to have only one child.

When determining the conditions for marriage, the most popular answer among both Koreans and Japanese was that the individual should have their own and their own.