Number of marriages hits record low

South Korea saw a record-low number of marriages last year, reflecting the widespread trend of people getting married later in life, government statistics showed Thursday.

According to Statistics Korea, the number of new marriages sat at 281,800 in 2016, down almost 7 percent from the previous year.

This was the first time the number fell below the 300,000-mark since the institute began collecting data in 2000.

The number of people newly married in May, which is typically peak season for marriages, also hit its lowest number last year, standing at around 25,000.

The key reason for the fall was the increasing number of those in their 20s wishing to avoid or delay getting married, officials said.

“Due to the unemployment crisis and changing social patterns, the marriage rate among those in their 20s and 30s is gradually falling each year,” said Lee Ji-yeon from Statistics Korea.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)