Attended Senior's Wedding with Wife
Complained About Being Scolded for Eating Meal with 100,000 Won Gift
"What's the Problem? VS Lacking Sense" Debate
A controversy over congratulatory money has flared up again after someone was scolded for paying 100,000 won to a senior and having a meal together. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News
A story about a man who attended a coworker's wedding with his wife and was scolded with the comment, "You paid 100,000 won as a congratulatory gift and even had a meal together?" has reignited the debate over wedding gift money.
On the 3rd, an anonymous post appeared on the workplace community Blind titled, "I brought my wife to a wedding and got scolded by a senior."
According to the post, the writer, Mr. A, attended a coworker's wedding two weeks ago with his wife. Since the senior had given 100,000 won as a congratulatory gift at his own wedding in the past, Mr. A gave the same amount. Afterward, the senior began giving him a hard time.
The senior said to Mr. A after the wedding, "You paid 100,000 won and even brought your wife to eat?" Mr. A laughed it off, saying, "How could I go alone without my wife?" However, the next day, the senior repeated the same comment and scolded him again.
Mr. A expressed frustration, saying, "Am I a beggar, or is he treating me like one?" He added, "It would have been better if I had given 100,000 won more as soon as he mentioned it, but now if I give more, he'll say, 'I was joking, why are you taking it seriously?' so I'm upset." Mr. A's post received over 1,000 comments, sparking a heated debate.
On the 3rd, an anonymous post appeared on the employee community Blind titled "I brought my wife to a wedding and got scolded by a senior." Photo by Blind capture
Some netizens criticized the senior's behavior, saying things like, "If you're going to be so calculating, just eat with your family. Don't invite or attend," "Regardless of money, just taking the time to celebrate is appreciated," and "If you pay 100,000 won for the wedding and eat with two people, you're called a beggar."
One netizen pointed out, "Those who say you should pay more when you bring your spouse should go find those who only paid for themselves without eating and get a refund. Why is it natural to count those who came more but not those who didn't?"
On the other hand, some argued that Mr. A's behavior was inappropriate, saying, "With today's prices, it's not 100,000 won per person, but if you bring an extra mouth, you should have sensibly paid more," "You don't bring uninvited guests," and "The cost of meals at wedding halls has risen a lot these days, so 100,000 won for two people doesn't cover it. If you brought your wife, you should have paid 150,000 won or gone alone."
Others commented that both the senior and Mr. A were at fault, saying, "Neither of them did well," and "Although it's not normal to say that out loud, I would have thought I was a beggar just by the thought."
Survey Results: Average Appropriate Wedding Gift Amount is 79,000 Won
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the marriage information company Duo in April last year with 300 unmarried men and women (150 men and 150 women each) found that the average appropriate wedding gift amount was 79,000 won. "50,000 won" (48%) was the most common answer, followed by "100,000 won" (40%).
Additionally, 48% of men and 66% of women said they felt burdened when receiving a wedding invitation. The top reasons were 1st, "ambiguous relationships," and 2nd, "financial burden."
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