Solongo and Devon met in Seoul, South Korea in March 2020. Solongo, after having lived in the satellite city of Songdo for 2 years, had finally made up her mind to move to the big city and was just settling down in the bustling neighborhood of Hongdae. Devon was visiting Korea on a short work trip with a plan to come back in a month to relocate to Korea to oversee an important infrastructure project for his company.

When they first met, COVID-19 was spreading quite quickly throughout Korea. Solongo, now working from home and not commuting to Songdo for work, had more time for herself; Devon chose to stay in Korea until COVID impacts on international travel lessened (little did he know that the pandemic would be around for the months to come), with one suitcase that he packed for the short trip.

Their first date was in Hongdae, at a cute Thai restaurant in one of the alleyways. The second date was at a fancy sushi restaurant, where they were the only customers – Devon joked that he booked the entire restaurant for them!

Third and fourth dates followed quickly. They hiked to the peak of Bukhan Mountain, which proved to be quite the test of stamina for them. Having survived Bukhansan, the couple started traveling around the country for weekend hikes, exploring the beautiful national parks of South Korea. Soon, dinners with friends, calls with families came along – they say a year spent together in COVID lock-down is equivalent to five years of regular courtship!

While the couple have not yet been able to visit Solongo’s parents in Mongolia due to travel restrictions, they were able to travel to the US earlier this year to see Devon’s family and friends. Fingers crossed, travel restrictions will be lifted later this year, allowing Solongo and Devon to visit Ulaanbaatar and take a ride through the great Mongolian steppe.

The couple has a lot in common – they both are foodies, enjoy moderate amounts of exercise, love traveling and exploring new places, come from loving families, and most importantly, laugh at each other’s jokes.

The lovebirds got engaged on May 1st in Busan and surprised their families by scheduling a marriage ceremony via Zoom just two short weeks later. They have settled into an apartment in Songdo and look forward to welcoming visitors. A traditional Mongolian wedding ceremony is being planned for the summer of 2022 near Ulaanbaatar, and they would be thrilled to have guests come to join the celebration there as well.