Seoul (AsiaNews) – With both Koreas preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their independence from Japan, the conciliatory current between them is growing stronger, and it includes romance, this according to a survey of 489 singles (227 men) carried out by South Korean matrimonial agency Daks Club.

The results indicate that 67.8 per cent of South Korean men would be willing to tie the knot with a northern woman.

Almost one South Korean man in two (45.1 per cent) polled said that North Korean women are "less sophisticated" than their southern counterparts.

For 28.9 per cent, the main reason to marry a northern woman would be their "natural beauty", while 13.6 percent said that they would be more obedient to their husbands.

Respondents could give more than one answers for the question.

Among those who would not marry a North Korean woman, ideological differences was cited by 42.5 per cent mentioned, different lifestyle by 34.9 per cent.

Regarding the preferred place to take a North Korean woman on a date, 24.7 per cent picked an amusement park, followed by movie theatre and downtown.

When asked about their ideal North Korean woman, 50.6 per cent of the male respondents chose North Korean dancer Cho Myong-ae, who is seen in commercials for Samsung Anycall mobile phones.

In contrast to South Korean single men, single women in the South showed less interest in a North Korean spouse. Only 13 per cent of female respondents said they would get married to a North Korean man.