Singer Jang Yoon-jeong was taken aback when her children shared an unusual aspect of their peers’ dating culture: dating for just one period of the school day to avoid being labelled as “mosol.”
These “one-period couples” start dating during recess and break up before the next class begins, Jang said in a recent TV appearance.
Given that a single period in South Korean elementary schools is 40 minutes, these fleeting relationships last less than an hour.
Adults may wonder what these kids do during this time, whether such brief relationships can even be called real, and why they engage in them at all.
One of the drivers behind this dating trend is an eagerness to avoid the dreaded “mosol” label, a Korean slang term for someone who has never been in a relationship, which directly translates to “single since birth”.
“You just give a note to a friend you like, saying, ‘Do you want to go out with me?’ and if he says yes, then we are girlfriend and boyfriend. Then we break up after the class ends,” said an 11-year-old student.
“This way, I am no longer a person with no experience, and can say I have had a boyfriend to my friends,” she explained.
In South Korea, where relationships are often seen as a marker of social competence and normalcy, the fear of being a “relationship virgin” has started to impact young children.
Experts point to the pervasive influence of social media as a key factor driving these trends.
Sociology professor at Hallym University Shin Kyung-ah said: “Platforms are flooded with content that glamourises relationships, from romantic confessions to curated couple aesthetics.”
“This constant exposure influences children to emulate the behaviours they see, often without fully understanding the implications.”
While some parents find the innocence of such interactions endearing, others express discomfort at the accelerated pace of their children’s emotional development.
Experts emphasise that parents should avoid harsh criticism and instead provide guidance, explaining the responsibilities and limits associated with relationships. — The Korea Herald/ANN
