--- title: The Love Holidays of South Korea | Eye on Asia description: Did you know that in South Korea, Valentine's Day is just one of the love holidays celebrated each month throughout the year? Check out some of the love holidays here. image: https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/love-holidays-of-korea-special-smaller.png --- [![Go to Home](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring/common/dataSpring-logo.svg "Go to Home")](https://www.d8aspring.com/) - About [About dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/company) Get to know your Asian panel insights provider. [Meet the Team](https://www.d8aspring.com/team) We aspire to be visionary, passionate, and relentless drivers of dataSpring values. [Careers](https://www.d8aspring.com/careers) See our current openings and let’s build great things together! [Visit Us](https://www.d8aspring.com/visit-us) Check out our offices in key cities across Asia. - Products dataSpring Panels [Asian Sample](https://www.d8aspring.com/asian-sample) We’re ready to serve your research needs with our expansive coverage in Asia. [Panel Sources](https://www.d8aspring.com/panel-sources) Our secure data comes from proprietary panels, API integration, and third-party partners. [Panel Quality](https://www.d8aspring.com/panel-quality) Our industry-leading Quality Check System ensures data validity and valuable insights. [Operations](https://www.d8aspring.com/operations) Enjoy convenient 24/7 support from our highly-capable Springers who speak your language. [Get Our Panel Book](https://www.d8aspring.com/download-panel-book) Solutions [Products](https://www.d8aspring.com/products) Complete your requirements with our reliable platforms. [Services](https://www.d8aspring.com/services) We provided solutions for every stage of your projects. [Mobile Platform](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-platform) Draw in-the-moment insights from Asian mobile consumers with our all-in-one platform. [Check our mobile capabilities](https://www.d8aspring.com/download-mobile-capabilities) - Resources Get started [Understanding Online Research Panels](https://www.d8aspring.com/understanding-online-research-panels) [Mobile Research Essentials](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-research-essentials) [Downloadable Media](https://www.d8aspring.com/resources) [Newsletter](https://www.d8aspring.com/newsletter) [Press Releases](https://www.d8aspring.com/press-release) Resources [Blogs](https://www.d8aspring.com/blog) Read more on topics about online research solutions to get you started. [Eye On Asia](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia) Check out the latest trends in Asia and learn valuable local insights. [dS Insights](https://www.d8aspring.com/ds-insights) Relevant and beneficial market research content, updated regularly. [Eye On Asia Podcast](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia-podcast) Listen to the latest market research news and trends in Asia in dataSpring's monthly podcast. リソース [ブログ](https://www.d8aspring.com/ja/blog) マーケティングリサーチやアジア諸国の情報について [Eye On Asia](https://www.d8aspring.com/ja/eye-on-asia) アジアの最新トレンドをチェックして、現地の貴重な情報を知ることができます。 [最新のインサイト情報](https://www.d8aspring.com/ds-insights) アジア地域のパネルについては、毎月実施される自主調査より詳しい情報をご確認いただけます。 [Eye On Asia Podcast](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia-podcast) Eye On Asia Podcastにて、最新のアジアのマーケティングリサーチに関するニュースやトレンドを聞くことができます。 - [Ask dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/help) - [Contact Us ](https://www.d8aspring.com/contact) [![dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring/common/dataSpring-logo.svg)](https://www.d8aspring.com/) - About - [About dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/company) - [Meet the Team](https://www.d8aspring.com/team) - [Careers](https://www.d8aspring.com/careers) - [Visit Us](https://www.d8aspring.com/visit-us) - Products - [Asian Sample](https://www.d8aspring.com/asian-sample) - [Panel Sources](https://www.d8aspring.com/panel-sources) - [Panel Quality](https://www.d8aspring.com/panel-quality) - [Operations](https://www.d8aspring.com/operations) - [Products](https://www.d8aspring.com/products) - [Services](https://www.d8aspring.com/services) - [Mobile Platform](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-platform) - Resources - [Understanding Online Research Panels](https://www.d8aspring.com/understanding-online-research-panels) - [Mobile Research Essentials](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-research-essentials) - [Blogs](https://www.d8aspring.com/blog) - [Eye On Asia](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia) - [dS Insights](https://www.d8aspring.com/ds-insights) - [Eye On Asia Podcast](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia-podcast) - [Downloadable Media](https://www.d8aspring.com/resources) - [Newsletter](https://www.d8aspring.com/newsletter) - [Press Releases](https://www.d8aspring.com/press-release) - Resources - [オンラインパネルについて](https://www.d8aspring.com/understanding-online-research-panels) - [モバイルリサーチの必要性について](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-research-essentials) - [ブログ](https://www.d8aspring.com/ja/blog) - [Eye On Asia](https://www.d8aspring.com/ja/eye-on-asia) - [最新のインサイト情報](https://www.d8aspring.com/ds-insights) - [Eye On Asia Podcast](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia-podcast) - [ダウンロード](https://www.d8aspring.com/resources) - [ニュースレター](https://www.d8aspring.com/newsletter) - [プレスリリース](https://www.d8aspring.com/press-release) - [Ask dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/help) [Contact Us](https://www.d8aspring.com/contact) # Eye On Asia A collection of insights from our Local Experts throughout the region # The Love Holidays of South Korea | Eye on Asia Written by [dataSpring Editors](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/author/dataspring-editors) | Est. reading time: 4 minute(s) ***![The Love Holidays of South Korea](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Eye-on-Asia/20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-special.png?width=437&name=20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-special.png)***   South Korea celebrates Valentine's Day in quite a different way compared to other countries. In fact, Valentine’s Day is just one of the country’s [twelve 'love days'](https://www.90daykorean.com/love-in-korea/), which are celebrated every 14th day of each month. For South Koreans, one love-themed holiday is just not enough.   In a country known for its romantic TV shows and films, it is quite apt that South Koreans regularly celebrate different forms of love throughout the year. Let’s take a look at three of their major love days: **Valentine’s Day**, **White Day**, and **Black Day**. ## February 14, Valentine’s Day In the South Korean version of Valentine’s Day, [it’s the women who give chocolates as a sign of affection](https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/valentines-day-south-korea/index.html) – they take on the responsibility of getting or creating the perfect gift for men. In a country where *[aegyo](https://www.koreaboo.com/lists/top-best-effective-cute-aegyo-techniques-love/)* ('cuteness') rules and men are expected to make the first move, Valentine’s Day gives women a unique opportunity to show their interest to the men they like the most.   By the start of February, businesses set up large displays in front of their shops to attract female customers into buying chocolates, candies, and other sentimental gifts. If there’s someone a woman is attracted to, she can take the extra mile by heading to bookshops and convenience stores, which sell cookbooks and chocolate making kits before Valentine's Day, and make the chocolates herself. Those with higher budgets go for luxury chocolates that are sold exclusively for the holiday by upscale chocolatiers in cities.   On the other hand, some couples celebrate Valentine’s Day by [wearing matching clothes](https://qz.com/909115/in-south-korea-couple-look-is-a-fashionable-way-to-tell-the-world-that-youre-in-love/) and going out together for a stroll or for a special dinner. Some go to the N Plaza at the Roof Terrace of N Seoul Tower to hang symbolic [‘love locks’](https://youtu.be/CuFoPQXxsRc) on the fences and throw the key away as a sign of eternal love.    ![February 14, Valentine’s Day - Lovelocks](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Eye-on-Asia/20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-lovelocks.png?width=800&name=20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-lovelocks.png) *Love notes are written in various languages on the 'padlocks of love' hung at the base of N Seoul Tower.*   ## March 14, White Day It’s women’s turn to get pampered on March 14, also known as White Day. [White Day celebrations originally started in Japan in the late ‘70s](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adelsteinjake/2018/03/13/how-japan-created-white-day-east-asias-alternate-valentines-day/#67095940348b), when the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association came up with a 'paying back day' for men to give back to the women who treated them with sweets and other gifts on Valentine’s Day. In 1977, a Japanese confectioner named Ishimura Manseido started marketing white marshmallows as love gifts every March 14, which they called Marshmallow Day then. Other companies came up with their own gimmicks every March 14, selling white chocolates and other white-colored gifts. Eventually, the white-colored holiday started including non-white colored treats, and other nearby countries, like South Korea, started celebrating it too.   Nowadays, [White Day is an opportunity for men to reciprocate their feelings to the women](https://www.koreanclass101.com/blog/2019/02/27/white-day/), especially by providing simple yet creatively presented gifts, like lollipop bouquets. Some men follow the so-called 'rule of three', which dictates that their gift must be roughly three times the value of the gift they received on Valentine’s Day. How men respond to White Day implies how they feel about the women who gave them gifts on Valentine’s Day. If they don’t send back a gift or send a gift of equal value instead of the power of three, it means that they are not interested in pursuing a relationship.   ## April 14, Black Day Single people who didn’t receive any gifts on Valentine’s Day or White Day have their own holiday to mend their bruised hearts or just celebrate singlehood. [Black Day is celebrated every April 14](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/koreas-black-day-when-sad-single-people-get-together-and-eat-black-food-16537918/) and is a special day for single people to get together and commiserate with their favorite comfort food. During Black Day, these single people go out with friends or on their own to Chinese-Korean establishments to eat *[jajangmyeon](https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-black-bean-sauce-noodles-jajangmyeon/)*, or Chinese noodles in a black bean-paste sauce. Some of them go as far as wearing black on that day, with some women wearing black nail polish and dark makeup. Compared to the two earlier holidays, advertising for Black Day is nearly non-existent. ![April 14, Black Day - Jajangmyeon](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Eye-on-Asia/20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-jajangmyeon.png?width=800&name=20200220-love-holidays-of-korea-jajangmyeon.png) *Jajangmyeon is the iconic food eaten by singles on Black Day.*   In South Korea, there's a lot of pressure for twentysomethings to get married and have children. In a way, being single meant not fulfilling a social obligation, so Black Day was traditionally viewed as a day of remorse. However, South Koreans start to recognize and [appreciate their singlehood as a sign of independence and freedom](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/honbap-solo-dining-in-korea) and start welcoming Black Day with enthusiasm.   It’s interesting to see how South Koreans have their own take in celebrating Valentine’s Day and its succeeding love holidays, and this says a lot about their society’s couple-centric culture and commercialization. However, times are changing, and some of the South Korean youth are turning down the celebrations altogether.   To learn more about consumer trends around Asia check out our other [Eye on Asia](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia) entries like [gaming in South Korea](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/gaming-in-south-korea) or [Singles Day in China](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/chinas-singles-day-spectacular). See you at the next one!   [![](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/421428/827b5cc8-b593-4ed6-be45-ab8460e7b5c0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/421428/827b5cc8-b593-4ed6-be45-ab8460e7b5c0) Published February 13, 2020 10:02 AM Topics: [Korea](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/topic/korea),  [South Korea](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/topic/south-korea),  [Valentine's Day](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/topic/valentines-day),  [White Day](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/topic/white-day),  [Black Day](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/topic/black-day) ## Don't forget to share this post! [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.d8aspring.com%2Feye-on-asia%2Fthe-love-holidays-of-korea) [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/the-love-holidays-of-korea) [**](https://www.twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.d8aspring.com%2Feye-on-asia%2Fthe-love-holidays-of-korea) # Contact us anytime 24/7! One of our Springers will be in touch with you within 24-48 hours to follow up on your request. [Contact Us](https://www.d8aspring.com/contact) # PANEL BOOK ![Thumbnail of the cover of dataSpring Panel Book](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/footer-panel-book@2x-1.png?width=240&height=172&name=footer-panel-book@2x-1.png "Thumbnail of the cover of dataSpring Panel Book") Check out dataSpring's panel coverage in this downloadable ebook. [![](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-download.svg)Download Panel Book](https://www.d8aspring.com/download-panel-book) # NEWSLETTER Stay updated on market research trends and get tips on conducting surveys online. # FOLLOW US [![dataSpring Facebook Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/d8aSpring-1489255404720810/) [![dataSpring Twitter Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-twitter.svg)](https://twitter.com/d8aspring) [![dataSpring LinkedIn Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/d8aspring) - Tokyo **+81 3-5294-5970** - Shanghai **+86 21-5238-7703** - Seoul **+82 2-778-6051** - Manila **+63 2-8899-3862** - Singapore **+65 9001-1137** - Los Angeles **+1 718-404-9260** - London **+44 7724-025-169** [Privacy policy](https://www.d8aspring.com/privacy) · [Terms of use](https://www.d8aspring.com/terms) © 2026 dataSpring Inc. Know today, Power tomorrow [INTAGE GROUP](https://www.intageholdings.co.jp/) ![footer-association-logo_2026@2x](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/footer-association-logo_2026@2x.png?width=600&height=103&name=footer-association-logo_2026@2x.png "footer-association-logo_2026@2x") [**](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/the-love-holidays-of-korea#) # NEWSLETTER Stay updated on market research trends and get tips on conducting surveys online. - About Us - [About dataSpring](https://www.d8aspring.com/company) - [Asian Sample](https://www.d8aspring.com/asian-sample) - [Mobile Platform](https://www.d8aspring.com/mobile-platform) - [Services](https://www.d8aspring.com/services) - Our Offices - [Tokyo: +81 3-5294-5970](tel:81352945970) - [Shanghai: +86 21-5238-7703](tel:862152387703) - [Seoul: +82 2-778-6051](tel:8227786051) - [Manila: +63 2-8899-3862](tel:63289624643) - [Singapore: +65 9001-1137](tel:6590011137) - [Los Angeles: +1 718-404-9260](tel:17184049260) - [London: +44 7724-025-169](tel:447724025169) - [Contact Us](https://www.d8aspring.com/contact) [![dataSpring Facebook Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/d8aSpring-1489255404720810/) [![dataSpring Twitter Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-twitter.svg)](https://twitter.com/d8aspring) [![dataSpring LinkedIn Page](https://www.d8aspring.com/hubfs/dataSpring2020/img/ic-sns-circle-linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/d8aspring) ![footer-association-logo_2026@2x](https://www.d8aspring.com/hs-fs/hubfs/footer-association-logo_2026@2x.png?width=400&height=69&name=footer-association-logo_2026@2x.png "footer-association-logo_2026@2x") © 2026 dataSpring Inc. Know today, Power tomorrow [INTAGE GROUP](https://www.intageholdings.co.jp/) [Privacy policy](https://www.d8aspring.com/privacy) · [Terms of use](https://www.d8aspring.com/terms) [**](https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/the-love-holidays-of-korea#)