It goes without saying that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has put a damper on all aspects of life —our love lives in particular — but has it stopped our students from dating or trying to? While the pandemic seems to have driven some closer together, it has caused others to feel the sting of loneliness more acutely, while for others yet, it has served as an opportunity for self-growth. Whether it is the first case or the last, couples and single individuals alike from Korea University (KU) let us in on their dating lives.

Kim Dongwook (’17, Economics) and Lee Do Yoon (’17, Italian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)

Dongwook & Doyoon: We both studied overseas and went to the same high school but weren’t close until our senior year, when we took the entrance exams for universities. Then, we hung out more, naturally becoming closer. Now, it’s been almost five years — we’re celebrating our anniversary in November.

GT: What are some challenges you guys have faced?

Dongwook: The first year of university wasn’t the easiest time for us. Being very extroverted, I made new friends and adjusted to university life quickly. That wasn’t so much the case for Do Yoon, who is quite introverted. Today, we’re still learning to overcome our differences in personality by talking it out, which I think is the most important thing in a relationship.

Doyoon: At the time, I think I was able to better adapt to university life, in part, when Dongwook went to the military. I was able to focus more on my life, striking a balance between my university life and my dating life.

Dongwook: While the military could’ve posed a challenge to our relationship, it is a time I look back on very fondly. When I was denied access to my phone, my girlfriend waited in line at a public telephone booth just to call me. In the military, I was able to focus on my girlfriend more, as I thought about her every day.

GT: What is dating like for you guys as compared to four years ago?

Dongwook & Doyoon: Now, we don’t meet as often as we used during our freshmen years due to our busy schedules, but when we do, we take walks, eat delicious food, and just enjoy each other’s company. Both of us are still students, so we can’t afford to go on classy, expensive dates all the time, but since we now both have a driver’s license, we’ve been trying out a lot of new things.

Anonymous (’19, English Language and Literature)

The pandemic has been somewhat of a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on myself. On the other, it’s completely obstructed my chances at dating. With the stay-at-home orders, I came to question my then-assumed heterosexuality. Looking back on how I felt about various people, I realized that I had been attracted to both sexes and that it really didn't matter what sex someone was — I just love people in general and don’t discriminate! I now identify as bisexual and have come out to my friends and loved ones since. With my coming out, I would have liked to try dating someone of the same sex. The society we inhabit, however, doesn’t look too favorably on same-sex couples. That being said, I could pursue heterosexual relationships, but I just didn’t feel that spark for the guys who were interested in me. The pandemic has stolen a lot of chances for me to meet new people as well. I’m supposed to be in a big club right now, meeting a bunch of new people, but instead, I’m lonely and stuck at home, avoiding both the pandemic and my chances at romance!

Park Yukyung (’20, Division of International Studies)

When my boyfriend broke up with me, I wanted to get out there again in the social scene. So, I downloaded Tinder. Initially, I wasn’t looking to date or get a boyfriend. I just wanted to make new, long-term connections — not flings or hookups — so my settings were set to show both female and male users on the app. Swiping left and right, I had a lot of worries and doubts — what were they looking for? How important are appearances to them? What if my feelings are one-sided? I think these doubts, however, gradually subsided as I went out on more and more dates, gaining more experiences dating and just filtering out the people that I didn’t vibe with. Now, I’m a lot more settled — there are only a few people that I regularly see from the app, in terms of both friendships and potential relationships. Right now, I’m trying to establish a relationship, but I’m not sure if it’s mutual.

Kim Jiwon (’21, Political Science and International Relations) and Nam Sunwoo (’21, Division of Life Sciences)

GT: How did you guys meet, and how were you guys able to strike a balance between your guys’ dating life and university life?

Jiwon and Sunwoo: We met in a badminton club at KU and from there, things just really took off. When we met each other, we had already secured different friendships and felt very settled in KU, so it wasn’t hard to balance between the two. Since we also study together, we have a lot more time to date and go on trips.

GT: Where do you see yourselves as a couple in the future?

Jiwon: Happily together. What’s important is that we both feel certainty in our relationship with Sunwoo going into the military. I would like for both of us to contact each other as much as possible so that we can overcome this hurdle.

Sunwoo: I believe that thinking about my girlfriend is the most important thing when I enter the military — I’ll always feel badly towards Jiwon in my having to go. However, we’ve got a good thing going now, and I’m confident that we will continue dating long into the future.