Online dating for North Korea

A businessman from South Korea has set up a web-based dating agency for people in neighbouring country North Korea who are too shy or busy to find themselves a partner.

Lee Woong Jin is the chief executive of Sunoo, one of the oldest and also the leading matchmaking agency in South Korea, and his new online agency for North Korea combines the country's matchmaking tradition with the modern internet savvy culture of his own country.

People who register with the 42-year-old entrepreneur's site can list up to 300 of their personal attributes, including the jobs and academic credentials of every family member, drinking and smoking habits, blood type, weight, height, monthly pay, and the qualities they are looking for in a partner, the International Herald Tribune reports.

Mr Jin said: "We built our system by analysing the marrying patterns of 10,000 couples married through our agency. Our site is not a place for Cinderellas - people with illusions of finding a prince or princess. Our emphasis is on being scientific and practical. We are a harbinger of the future."

Mr Jin's Sunoo agency produces over 1,000 married couples every year.