Dating anecdotes spread among participants in their 20s and 30s; critics say flirting undermines the protest's purpose
![Protesters hold placards outside the handball arena at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as a demonstration blockading the vote-counting center entered its 11th consecutive day over a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/15/rcv.YNA.20260610.PYH2026061012600001301_P1.jpg)
As a sit-in blockade at a Jamsil vote-counting center stretches into its 11th day over a ballot shortage during the 9th nationwide local elections, a side phenomenon has emerged among younger participants: some are using the protest as an opportunity to meet romantic partners. The trend, dubbed "Olympic Park hunting" or "patriotic pickup," has drawn both defenders — who say it is simply people with shared political views connecting naturally — and critics who argue it undermines the purpose of the demonstration.
According to participants at the rally on Monday, young attendees at the protest site near Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, have frequently been seen striking up conversations and exchanging contact information. Some who met at the demonstrations have reportedly stayed in touch afterward.
Social media posts recounting the encounters have spread widely. "There are so many attractive people at Olympic Park," read one. Others described exchanging numbers with someone they liked during the protest, or going out for a meal together after the demonstration ended.
One post on an online community forum drew particular attention under the headline "Recruiting for patriotic blind dates." The author listed a meeting time and place, and set just one condition for participation: "All you need is the patriotic spirit to date and help save this country's birth rate."
Critical posts also appeared. "Don't go hunting at Olympic Park — people are talking," one user wrote. "I get it, since it's mostly 20s and 30s and young energy, but let's not lower the tone." The author added: "If you want to do that, go somewhere else. Stop going up to people saying 'Where are you from?' and 'Did you come alone?' — this isn't a social outing."
The trend reflects a broader pattern in which people increasingly avoid dating or marrying someone with different political views.
A 2023 survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, conducted among 3,952 men and women between the ages of 19 and 75, found that 58.2 percent of respondents said they had no intention of dating or marrying someone with different political leanings. The figure was higher among women (60.85 percent) than men (53.9 percent). A majority of youth respondents — those between 19 and 34 — also said they were reluctant to pursue relationships across political lines.
Meanwhile, as of 10 a.m. Monday — the 11th day of the Jamsil vote-counting center blockade — police informally estimated about 200 people had gathered near the handball arena inside Olympic Park, which serves as the counting venue. That figure plunged from a peak of up to 20,000 over the weekend.
Real-time urban data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government put the park's current population — including visitors and leisure-goers — at between 8,000 and 8,500. Those aged 60 and above made up the largest share at 25 percent. Demonstrators have occupied the entrances to the handball arena, chanting slogans calling for a re-election on grounds of electoral fraud and a manual recount of same-day ballots.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
