Many women no longer bite their nails and wait until their boyfriends pop the question but propose themselves.

Lee Seon-hwan (30), an office worker in Seoul, proposed to her boyfriend, Koh Jung-wook (30) last year and tied the knot in November. "Our relationship did not specify gender roles, so I was the one who proposed," she says. "My husband was moved to tears."

And Park Eun-hye (24) from North Jeolla Province also proposed to her boyfriend. "I thought my husband didn't have the courage, so I went ahead and proposed," she says. "I think it's biased thinking to believe that men must propose marriage."

Women go about it differently though. Some present seals engraved with each other's names or offer cakes with a message saying "Be my husband."

Event planner Lee Chan-hee, said, "The woman often shows the man video of memorable moments or reads a letter, while the man traditionally offers a ring."