"Inviting 50 Guests but Asked to Pay 10 Million Won?" Engaged Couples Struggling Amid COVID-19 Resurgence

Couples Planning Weddings from August to October Anxious Over Social Distancing Level 2 Upgrade
Invitations Limited to Under 50 Guests, Buffet Use Prohibited... Deposit Must Cover 250-300 Guests
Petition to Blue House Urges Measures on Venue Rules and Cancellation Fees

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] The government has implemented strengthened Level 2 social distancing measures starting today (the 19th) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Accordingly, gatherings or events with more than 50 people indoors or more than 100 people outdoors are prohibited.

This has caused confusion among engaged couples who had postponed their weddings. It has become difficult to invite guests, and they can no longer gather in one place to take commemorative photos or go to buffet restaurants for meals. Buffet restaurants inside wedding halls are classified as high-risk facilities and cannot operate under Level 2 social distancing.

In particular, many wedding halls do not reduce the minimum guaranteed number of guests by more than 10% according to contracts, forcing couples to pay for meals of absent guests unwillingly.

Previously, from the 14th to the 18th over five days, 991 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, including imported cases. Especially as cases surged mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and Gyeonggi implemented Level 2 social distancing for two weeks starting from the 16th.

Under Level 2 social distancing, all private, public, collective, and meeting events with more than 50 people indoors or 100 people outdoors are advised to be refrained from. This includes weddings, certification and recruitment exams, exhibitions, alumni meetings, and picnics.

Given this situation, the worries of engaged couples who postponed their weddings since the COVID-19 outbreak began in earnest in February and scheduled their weddings between August and October are deepening.

On the 14th, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board requesting a change in the wedding hall contract regulations due to the strengthened social distancing measures. Photo by Blue House National Petition Post Capture

On the Blue House National Petition Board, posts demanding changes to existing wedding hall regulations and related measures continue to appear. On the 14th, a petition titled "Please invalidate existing wedding hall contracts when Level 2 social distancing is raised" was posted.

The petitioner, who is scheduled to marry in October this year, said, "There is a clause that requires payment for a guaranteed number of 200 to 350 guests at the time of contract," and added, "(However) when Level 2 social distancing is raised, the maximum number of guests the bride and groom can invite, excluding up to 10 wedding hall staff, is 40 according to the indoor occupancy limit. The bride and groom have to pay over 10 million won to the wedding hall for inviting 40 guests."

They urged, "Due to the government's impractical measures, the number of guests the bride and groom can invite is less than 50. Please prepare measures to allow cancellation of existing contracts without penalty or to change the wedding date."

As of 8:30 a.m. on the 19th, the petition had received over 29,000 signatures.

Additionally, related petitions such as "Please prepare measures for weddings due to COVID-19," "Compensate for wedding restrictions due to COVID-19," and "Request to lift wedding guest limits and proceed with postponement or cancellation without penalty" have been posted consecutively on the National Petition Board.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) requested the Korea Wedding Industry Association to allow customers to postpone weddings without penalty if they wish.

They also requested that engaged couples who cannot hold weddings due to government assembly bans, facility operation suspensions, or closures not be charged separate penalties.

Earlier in March, the Korea Wedding Industry Association announced a policy, following the FTC's request, that customers who want to postpone their weddings can delay them for up to three months without penalty.

If the wedding industry accepts the FTC's request, it is expected that couples will not have to pay separate penalties when postponing weddings or canceling contracts due to venue closures caused by COVID-19.

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