Koreans have got to be some of the best entrepreneurs in the world because they discover markets for anything:

Inching toward his mid-30s and with an ill father, Mr. Kim had a problem. He had no girlfriend and no intention of getting married, but his parents insisted he find someone and settle down. As his father’s condition became worse, so did the pressure from his parents about marriage, until one day Mr. Kim found himself letting a little lie pop out: He told his parents he was seeing someone.

But the harmless lie, which was supposed to give Kim temporary freedom, suddenly turned against him. He somehow ended up promising his parents he would visit them with his fiancee.

“I tried to find someone to help me out. It had happened so suddenly, and the date was already set,” Kim said. So as most South Koreans do when in need, he turned to the internet, and it did not fail him.

Kim, who declined to give his full name for fear of his parents finding out, found a company that offered to do anything for him. With the help of that company, Kim will soon head down to the countryside with a “nice woman” in her early or mid-30s posing as his potential bride.

Companies like the one Kim stumbled across represent one of the hottest trends in the Korean service sector these days: the instead-man service.

Companies with a pool of instead-men and women offer to do odd jobs that range anywhere from food delivery to killing cockroaches. Customers pay a fee that starts at about $4 and can reach into the hundreds depending on the service.  [Global Post]

Read the rest at the link.