‘Magikkuns’ Are Spoiling The Fun On Korea’s Dating Apps. Know Who Are They

In South Korea, dating app users are complaining about ‘Magikkuns’ so much that the operators have started to crack down on people with masked profiles.

Experts believe masks can hide facial expressions so the person in front of you wouldn’t know if you are frowning or smirking | Illustration: Getty

New Delhi: Masks are mandatory at most places and it’s desirable that people keep them on to contain the spread of Covid-19. But there is one place where the use of masks is creating a problem — dating sites.

In South Korea, dating app users are complaining about it so much that the operators have started to crack down on people posting profile images with masks on, local media reported. 

They have even coined a word for such people — “magikkun”.

Derived from “sagikkun”, the Korean word for a fraud, ‘magikkun’ means a fraud who is masked.    

According to a report in The Korea Herald, the portmanteau from English word ‘mask’ and Korean word ‘sagikkun’ has become a buzzword in the country’s dating scene. 

Quoting a 29-year-old woman, the report said she met several dates who looked totally different when the mask came off.

It’s implied that people look more attractive with masks on.

A Cardiff University study, published last week and quoted in the report, substantiates this claim.

Researchers at the university noted that masked faces are now rated as more attractive than those unmasked.

This could be because masks are able to hide some “undesirable features in the lower part of the face”, one of the researchers was quoted as saying.

In 2020, a study by the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University College of Health, had found that attractiveness ratings of faces improved significantly for both men and women when surgical masks were digitally added on to them.

Experts believe masks can hide facial expressions so the person in front of you wouldn’t know if you are frowning or smirking. 

With cheekbones, chin and philtrum covered, a masked face could create an illusion about the overall impression of a face, the Korea Herald report said, quoting plastic surgeons.