In April, a person identified as A had to call off their wedding due to personal reasons while preparing for the ceremony.
When they contacted the wedding venue to cancel the contract, the company's demand was absurd.
The venue demanded a total of 7 million won, which included not only the 2 million won deposit but also a 5 million won penalty fee, equivalent to 30% of the total wedding cost of 16.5 million won.
There was also an additional 300,000 won fee for the cancellation consultation.
This amounted to 44% of the total cost, more than double the 20% limit recommended by the Fair Trade Commission.
[A: It feels like they just tacked on extra costs because it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I am not the only one who signed this kind of contract; everyone else is doing it too.]
The number of consumer complaints related to wedding services rose by nearly 20% from 905 cases the year before last to 1,076 cases last year, with 82.4% of them involving disputes over contract termination and penalty fees.
Opaque contract structures that do not clearly state penalty standards, refund conditions, and additional costs are cited as the main causes.
[Jung Joon-hyun / Lawyer: The wedding venue's demands could be seen as excessive under the Act on the Regulation of Terms and Conditions or the Framework Act on Consumers.]
When asked about the facts and their position regarding A's case, the wedding venue initially refused to respond and indicated that they would resolve the matter legally.
[Wedding Venue Representative: We are only going to proceed through litigation, so there is nothing else to say. Do we really have to tell you anything?]
However, two days after SBS began its investigation, the company sent an email to A stating that, in accordance with Fair Trade Commission standards, they would only need to pay a penalty of approximately 1.1 million won, excluding the 2 million won deposit.
"7 Million Won" for Canceling a Wedding… The Venue's Absurd Demand (July 6, 2026, 8 O'Clock News)
Reported by Lim Ji-hyun | Written by Kim Da-yeon | Video by Kang Si-woo | Video Editing by Ahn Yeo-jin | Graphics by Park Tae-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
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