30,000 won was the basic amount, but now
"10,000 won is a burden for young workers"
As high inflation continues, more office workers are feeling burdened by wedding congratulatory money. Since social distancing measures were lifted last year, wedding invitations have increased significantly, and with the added effect of 'congratulatory money inflation,' office workers are sighing over their thinning wallets. In particular, as rising prices have increased the cost of wedding venue meals and ceremony expenses, debates over the appropriate amount of congratulatory money continue.
"10,000 won congratulatory money is burdensome... Can't it be 7,000 won?"
Recently, a post titled "As a young adult, 100,000 won for congratulatory money is burdensome. Can't it be 70,000 won?" was uploaded on an online community. The author stated, "Currently, 100,000 won is the standard for congratulatory money, but due to the burden, I avoid attending weddings of acquaintances with ambiguous relationships," and expressed the opinion that it would be good to have a new option between 50,000 and 100,000 won to reduce the burden.
The culture of congratulatory money has been controversial before. Earlier, on the anonymous office worker community 'Blind,' a post titled "I was scolded by a senior after bringing my wife to a wedding" was posted on the 3rd, attracting attention.
According to the post, the writer attended a senior colleague's wedding two weeks ago with his wife. Since the senior had given 100,000 won as congratulatory money at his own wedding in the past, the writer also gave the same amount, but afterward, the senior started giving him cold looks.
The post sparked a heated debate among netizens. Those criticizing the senior commented, "Isn't it enough to be grateful just for attending the wedding?" and "If a senior gives you a hard time over a few ten thousand won, it's better not to meet them anymore," while supporters argued, "The writer should pay more money."
What is the appropriate amount of congratulatory money? ... Around 70,000 won
The reason the appropriate amount of congratulatory money has come under scrutiny is related to recent price increases. As prices rise, so do wedding venue meal costs, naturally pushing up the amount of congratulatory money.
However, guests are complaining about the economic burden of the increased congratulatory money. For example, if one spends 100,000 won each time as congratulatory money, attending just two weddings a month results in 200,000 won in expenses. Additionally, with the recent rise in single-person households, opportunities to receive congratulatory money back have decreased, leading many to feel averse to the congratulatory money culture.
In response, posts establishing 'congratulatory money standards' have gained popularity on online communities. The guidelines suggest ▲30,000 won (or no attendance) for acquaintances seen once a year or less ▲50,000 won for coworkers ▲100,000 won or more for close friends.
Relatedly, a survey conducted by the marriage information company Duo in March last year targeting 300 unmarried men and women in their 20s and 30s showed that the average appropriate congratulatory money amount was 78,900 won. Among respondents, 53.3% answered that 'less than 100,000 won' was appropriate, while 45.3% said '100,000 won or more but less than 200,000 won' was suitable.
The criteria for deciding the amount of congratulatory money were ▲closeness (83.3%) ▲financial situation (9.3%) ▲amount given by others around (4.0%), in that order.
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