The chart circulated on various South Korean online forums since at least 2021, including here and here as well as here on Facebook.
Comments on many posts pointed to the chart as evidence that Gangman women were attracted to marrying older men for their wealth.
“Data doesn’t lie. At the end of the day, women care more about money than looks,” one user wrote.
“It’s natural for competent men to desire younger brides,” another said.
Online misogyny is rampant in the South Korea. Companies in the East Asian country accused of endorsing “extreme feminism” have faced boycotts and issued public apologies.
Baseless figures
A spokesperson for Statistics Korea told AFP it did not publish the statistics.
The chart “does not match official data, which in fact shows the national average age gap between newlyweds in 2019 was 2.8 years, while in Gangnam district the average was 2.1 years,” they said.
They cited official 2019 data from the Korean Statistical Information Service, which listed the mean age of grooms at first marriage in Gangnam district as 34.24, and brides at 32.14 — a difference of around 2.1 years (archived link).
Below is a screenshot of official data released by the agency with the details about Gangnam district highlighted by AFP: