North Koreans using mobile matchmaking services
Matchmaking services can now be accessed by North Korean cell phone users seeking romance. Usage fees for the service are processed with “mobile money,” a phone-based credit payment system.
“In North Korea’s larger cities, phone-based matchmaking services that set up dates for men and women are appearing and they’re gaining a lot of traction among younger people. The phenomenon began to emerge after the introduction of mobile phone credits which can be used to make payments,” a source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK.
Matchmaking services for the amorous existed in the past, but the newer business model involves specialists who maintain databases of men and women. The specialists provide a suitable partner match based on each client’s preferences.
“Those who are looking for a date can charge phone credits and send these so-called ‘mobile money (credits)’ to a matchmaker who will set up a date based on the client’s preferences,” explained the source.
In North Korea, such phone credits can be reloaded by making a cash payment to vendors at the market. Daily NK found in a recent investigation that these phone credits are becoming increasingly popular for wire transfers and payments.
The so-called “mobile money” is essentially a type of virtual currency in North Korea and can be exchanged for cash. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
