However, many TikTok users were quick to question the authenticity of the supposed trend.
One wrote: “No. I lived in Korea for 29 years and never heard of this method.”
Another echoed, “I have lived in Korea for the past few years. Never heard of it, but there are jokes about doing this. Are you sure you’re not confused?”
One viewer further wondered: “Where do you even get (this information)? I’m 24, born and raised in Korea, Korean, and have never seen or heard anyone do that in my life.” To this, Ms. Ahn responded that she had heard about the trend from an episode of the popular South Korean variety show Running Man.
Several comments on the online forum site Reddit similarly called out Ms. Ahn for her seemingly unsubstantiated claim that this was the “number one” dating trend in South Korea.
Other users were more fixated on her generalization of men in North America.
The top comment asked, “Soooo Korean guys aren’t creeps, just American guys?”
One TikTok user said: “No, I live in Korea and it’s full of creeps here. Young Korean boys show no mercy, especially with foreign girls.”
Another South Korean content creator named “annabellejoy11” posted a video last Thursday responding to Ms. Ahn’s video and sharing her own thoughts on the dating scene in South Korea.
“So like this creator said, there’s a new way to meet people where you just send your photos to everyone at the bar,” she says at the beginning of the video.
While “annabellejoy11” also doesn’t have any evidence to support this statement in her five-minute video, she delves deeper into other parts of Ms. Ahn’s video, including explaining the intricacies of “hunting pochas,” or “hunting bars,” where bar visitors openly look for potential partner.