'W100m is my minimum' — a matchmaking CEO's reality check for young women

The head of a matchmaking agency has called on some women in their 20s to recalibrate their expectations after finding that many treat a prospective partner's annual salary of 100 million won ($74,900) as a baseline requirement.

Park Jeong-won, CEO of Noble Mariage, spoke recently on the YouTube channel "Hanbang Unni" about financial standards in the marriage market and why some women's expectations for a spouse have climbed so high.

Park shared her experience counseling women in their 20s, saying she is often taken aback by what she hears. "When I do consultations, I'm genuinely stunned. They say, 'I'm not picky about conditions — 100 million won a year is fine,' and they say it like that figure is the most ordinary thing in the world," she said.

She added that clients toss out the 100 million won figure "as casually as if they were picking out a convenience store dosirak."

In the video, Park asked a female production crew member in her 20s what she thought about the 100 million won salary threshold. "I think a man should earn at least that much," the crew member said. "Prices have gone up so much lately — shouldn't a man be making around 100 million won?"

Park pushed back, describing a 100 million won salary as "a price tag for a life poured into work — the accumulated value of 10 to 15 years." She added that reaching that level means "spending the most brilliant years when you could be getting married working solely for a company."

Park also pointed to social media and entertainment as factors driving up salary expectations. "Women's benchmarks are already set at 50 million won or above. From there, they start treating 70 to 80 million won as the default and end up talking about 100 million won," she said. "When they look at social media and TV, 50 million won ends up looking relatively small."

She added that "most of the people saying these things don't even earn 50 million won themselves," but was quick to note that a 50 million won salary "is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of or to dismiss as small. It is the result of having your abilities validated for at least seven years — a number to be proud of."