Rather than dream of meeting an oppa in South Korea, you can now hire one as your personal tour guide.
Popularised by the K-wave, the term oppa is used by Korean women to address older family members or friends, or romantic interests.
Inviting tourists to “rent a Korean oppa for a dating tour” on Facebook, the Oh My Oppa platform did a test run of its service in February and is now accepting online reservations ahead of an official launch in April.
“We thought we would present these tourists with men we can be proud of. Although it was a joke at first, we followed up with an actual website and the social media reaction has been beyond our expectations,” Lee Joon-woo, CEO of Winwincook, the software company behind the tour service, was quoted as saying in an article from The Korea Herald.
The website currently presents seven oppas for visitors to choose from. Visitors first choose based on the names and beauty shots of their potential oppas. They then click on individual profiles to view details including what language(s) the oppa can speak in, his interests and a brief itinerary.
Apart from market or village tours, oppas may also “cut up steak, take flattering photographs and offer encouraging comments”, according to The Korea Herald article.
