Dating in Korea depends on individual people, but the average Korean starts dating around high school age. Due to the fact that many schools are separated by gender, some Korean youths might not kiss someone of the opposite sex until they reach college age or beyond.
On dates, it's not uncommon for youngsters to go to movies, game rooms (오락실), singing rooms (노래방), PC rooms (PC방), or video rooms (비디오방). However, video rooms tend to have a nasty reputation for being places where Koreans make out or have varying degrees of sex while viewing a movie in a semiprivate room. On a lighter note, if all goes well for a young couple, they will buy couple rings. Obviously, this displays to others that they are a couple. When the time comes, the boy will finally enter the girl's house to meet her parents. Usually Korean kids don't enter their boyfriend or girlfriend's house until they intend to get married. When parent's approval is given, an inexpensive engagement ring is bought and they hold an engagement party. In Korea the wedding ring is the expensive ring, in contrast to the customary expensive engagement ring and inexpensive wedding band of the West.
