"Can We Hold Weddings at Concert Venues?"... Prospective Couples 'Boiling' Over New Social Distancing Rules

"Wedding Ceremony Limited to 50 Guests, Engaged Couples Say 'Concert Halls Hold 2,000, Is Marriage a Crime?'"
Minimum Guaranteed Guests at Wedding Venues Are 100-300... The Burden Falls Entirely on Engaged Couples
Health Authorities: "Unavoidable Measure Ahead of Summer Vacation and School Opening"

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] "Can we hold the wedding ceremony at a concert hall?", "The church allows 99 people, so why only for weddings?", "Is marriage a crime?"

As the Level 4 social distancing measures have been extended until the 22nd, engaged couples have expressed frustration, claiming that the quarantine guidelines are unfair. According to government quarantine guidelines, from the 9th, religious facilities are allowed up to 99 people depending on capacity, concert halls up to 2,000 people depending on area, while weddings are limited to a maximum of 49 attendees.

Engaged couples planning weddings in the second half of this year are struggling with adjusting the number of guests. Jeong Mo (29), a bride-to-be with a wedding scheduled for October, said, "The capacity of wedding halls varies depending on the size of the hall, so shouldn't the number of attendees be proportionally determined based on area?" She added, "A wedding happens only once in a lifetime, so I don't understand why the number of attendees is more restricted than religious services or concerts," expressing her frustration.

On the Blue House's public petition board, eight petitions related to wedding quarantine guidelines were posted between the 1st and 9th of this month. One petition titled "Is it okay to hold a wedding at a concert hall?" posted on the 6th stated, "If you rent a performance venue for a wedding, up to 2,000 people are allowed, but only 99 people are allowed in churches or cathedrals. The 50-person limit for weddings means even 25 people from each side of the family cannot be gathered. Even relatives cannot meet," sharply criticizing the policy.

The petitioner continued, "There is no difference between weddings, concerts, and churches in that people from all over the country gather in enclosed spaces," and questioned, "Concerts and churches involve shouting and singing, making them much more vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases, yet their capacity limits have been eased while the wedding attendee limit remains unchanged. I don't understand this."

There is also criticism that the quarantine guidelines do not consider the reality of wedding ceremonies. Since each wedding hall sets a minimum guaranteed number of 100 to 300 people, engaged couples have to bear the cost of meals for guests who do not attend.

On the 9th, a petitioner posted a message titled "Realistic adjustment of wedding attendee numbers and detailed matters by stage is necessary," stating, "The upcoming weddings cannot be canceled due to penalties," and urged, "Because of the quarantine guidelines, even though only 49 people attended, we had to pay for 100 or 150 people according to the wedding hall's minimum number. Please allow us to hold weddings with at least the minimum number according to the wedding hall's rules."

However, quarantine authorities plan to tighten measures further to curb the spread. On the 6th, Lee Ki-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, announced the extension of social distancing and urged caution even in gatherings with family and relatives.

He said, "The goal of this extension is to decisively reverse the trend of infection spread ahead of the vacation season, Liberation Day holiday, and the start of school at the end of August," adding, "We understand the economic and psychological difficulties caused by prolonged high-level social distancing. Please understand that this is an unavoidable measure to reduce damage to our entire society."

Meanwhile, the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea has remained in the four digits for over a month since the 7th of last month (1,212 cases). As of midnight on the 10th, the number of new domestic cases reached 1,540.

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