Park Myung-soo says men should pay on first dates, weighs in on Dutch pay debate

Park Myung-soo, a Korean comedian and broadcaster, said he believes men should cover the bill on a first date rather than split expenses.

On the Nov. 13 episode of KBS Cool FM's "Park Myung-soo's Radio Show," broadcaster Jeon Min-ki appeared as a guest to discuss who should pay for expenses on blind dates.

Jeon read a listener's message complaining that splitting the restaurant and coffee bills down to the last won on a blind date was off-putting. He then said, "I actually think Dutch pay would be better."

Following his remark that "even self-ordering kiosks nowadays have an option for 'pay separately,'" Park responded, "It doesn't seem right to pay separately. Men should pay. How can you split that?"

In reality, opinions are divided among single men and women regarding whether date expenses should be shared.

According to a survey conducted by marriage information agency Duo in December 2023 targeting 300 single men and women, 48.0% of respondents answered that they had experience with Dutch paying on dates.

The most common reason cited for splitting the cost, among both men and women, was "not wanting one side to bear a heavier burden" (51.4% of men, 48.6% of women).

A difference in perception regarding Dutch paying emerged. While 62.7% of men evaluated it positively, the most common response among women was negative, at 33.3%.

Reasons for viewing Dutch paying positively included "thinking it is fair" (34.5%) and "being able to start as an equal relationship" (31.0%). Conversely, the most common reason for a negative view was "feeling that one would focus on splitting in half rather than dating" (50.8%).