Travel and Dining Encouraged... Yet Pre-Married Couples Frustrated by Social Distancing Level 2

37,000 People Agree to National Petition in One Day
Government to Raise Alert Level to 2 in Seoul and Gyeonggi on 15th
Wedding Halls Including High-Risk Facilities... Hall-in-One Limited to 50 People
Wedding Halls and Couples Clash Due to Lack of Specific Guidelines

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the government’s social distancing guidelines have been raised to level 2, prospective newlyweds are demanding compensation measures in accordance with the government’s directives. Since gatherings must be limited to fewer than 50 people indoors at level 2, it is difficult to hold typical weddings, which usually have more than 200 guaranteed attendees, as usual. Wedding halls are also experiencing confusion because, despite the government’s announcement, the local district offices overseeing the wedding hall locations have not provided specific guidelines.

On the 14th, a post titled “Please Nullify Existing Wedding Hall Contracts When Social Distancing Is Raised to Level 2!” was posted on the Blue House National Petition site, and as of 7:20 p.m. on the 15th, 3,736 people had agreed. If a national petition exceeds 200,000 signatures, the relevant government departments must issue an official response.

On the same day, the government held a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting and announced that due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, the social distancing level will be raised from level 1 to level 2 starting at midnight on the 16th. At level 2, all private and public gatherings, meetings, and events with 50 or more people indoors and 100 or more people outdoors are prohibited. Public facilities will be suspended in principle. Schools will operate with a mix of in-person and remote classes. Currently, 12 high-risk facilities and industries, including clubs, hunting bars, karaoke rooms, and indoor group exercise facilities, must close. Buffets within wedding halls will also be classified as high-risk facilities starting from the 19th and must comply with these measures.

The petitioner stated, “Due to the government’s impractical measures, the number of guests the bride and groom can invite is less than 50,” adding, “Even excluding at least 5 to 10 wedding hall staff, they have to pay at least 10 million won in wedding costs just to invite about 40 guests.” They continued, “Because of the clause requiring payment for a minimum guaranteed number of 200 guests, even if the meal cost is only 50,000 won per person, it already exceeds 10 million won. On top of that, there are additional costs such as men’s suits and dress rentals, official ceremony photography fees, parents’ hanbok rental fees, paebaek ceremony costs, and invitation card gathering expenses.”

A wedding hall in Sindorim, Seoul. Photo is not related to the article.

In a large online wedding community with 410,000 members, related controversies are also heating up. On the 15th alone, 82 posts related to “Social Distancing Level 2” were uploaded. B, who announced a wedding on the 22nd, said, “This is expected to be the first case to suffer damage after the social distancing level was raised to 2,” adding, “The wedding hall said they can only get detailed information after contacting the district office on Tuesday when the holiday ends, which is frustrating.” A, who has a wedding scheduled for the end of this month, said, “I inquired with Gangnam District Office and requested precise guidelines,” adding, “If there are guest number restrictions, it would be helpful to ask about compensation methods for prospective newlyweds and collectively raise strong objections to help resolve the situation.”

Wedding halls are also in an emergency due to the lack of specific guidelines. An event manager at Hotel A in Gangnam, Seoul, said, “Even if today and tomorrow are fine, we are receiving numerous phone inquiries from couples with weddings next week,” adding, “I heard that if the guidelines are violated, both the prospective couple and the wedding hall will be fined, so we are struggling to come up with countermeasures.”

A wedding planner from Wedding Company B said, “Many wedding halls went out of business in the first half of the year due to worsening financial conditions, so they will not easily reduce the guaranteed number,” adding, “Especially those who moved their dates from April to August are suffering serious damage, but the wedding industry is also facing significant losses.”

Meanwhile, under level 1 social distancing, the government has been promoting a “Special Travel Week” since July to alleviate COVID-19-related depression among citizens. On the 9th, it announced that the Special Travel Week will also be held in October. The government plans to expand the worker vacation support program and develop religious and cultural travel courses. Discount coupons worth about 170 billion won will be provided for consumption in eight sectors, including accommodation, dining, movies, exhibitions, performances, and sports facilities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.