"You Met Thanks to Us"... Member Who Hid Marriage from Matchmaking Company Ordered to Pay Up

Married Through a Matchmaking Company,
But Hid the Fact From the Company... Facing a Massive Penalty Fee

"Contract Still Valid Even After Withdrawal," Court Rules

A member who got married through a matchmaking company but did not inform the company of this fact ended up having to pay a penalty fee along with the marriage success fee.

A member who got married through a marriage information company but did not inform the company of this fact was required to pay a penalty fee in addition to the marriage success fee. Reference photo for better understanding. Getty Images

On May 5, Yonhap News reported that Judge Bang Chang-hyun, presiding over the 83rd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, ruled in favor of matchmaking company A in a lawsuit filed against Ms. B, ordering her to pay 47.52 million won and delayed interest. The court fully recognized both the marriage success fee of 11.88 million won, as specified in the contract when Ms. B joined company A, and the penalty fee of 35.64 million won, which is three times the success fee.

Previously, in September 2022, Ms. B signed a contract with company A by paying a membership fee of 5.28 million won, under the condition of receiving five arranged meetings. The contract stipulated that if a wedding date was set or a formal family meeting was scheduled, the marriage success fee of 11.88 million won must be paid within two weeks. It also specified that failure to do so would require payment of a penalty fee equal to three times the success fee.

In January the following year, Ms. B was introduced to Mr. C, a member affiliated with a partner company of A. In June of the same year, Ms. B and Mr. C got married, but Ms. B did not inform company A of the marriage nor pay the marriage success fee. Company A only became aware of this later and filed a civil lawsuit against Ms. B.

Ms. B argued, "I withdrew from company A through my father one month before the wedding, so I am not obligated to pay the marriage success fee or the penalty fee." However, the court did not accept this claim, stating, "While it is recognized that Ms. B withdrew from company A, it is difficult to see that the contract itself was mutually terminated." The court further explained, "Given that the contract stipulated payment of the marriage success fee even if the marriage occurred after the contract period, Ms. B is not exempted from paying the fee."

The court continued, "The marriage success fee is a postpaid reward for the services provided by company A, and a means is needed to indirectly enforce payment of the fee if marriage occurs. Considering that it is difficult for a matchmaking company to know if a member has married unless informed, the penalty clause was established to psychologically compel members to notify the company and pay the marriage success fee."

Ms. B also claimed that company A exaggerated certain financial information such as annual salary and leaked personal information, so she should not be required to pay the penalty fee. However, the court did not accept this claim, stating, "There is no evidence to support this assertion."

Ms. B has appealed the first-instance ruling.

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