Korean Proposal Trends Reported on WSJ Front Page
"Hotel Proposals Do Not Help Marriage Rates"
Recently, the American daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) focused on the 'extravagance of marriage proposals' in Korea. As Korea's marriage rate has fallen to an all-time low, the culture of extravagance, such as giving luxury bags as gifts at hotels, is said to rather increase the burden on couples.
On the 15th (local time), WSJ introduced Korea's proposal culture in an article titled "Expensive Obstacles Before Marriage: A $4,500 (about 5.7 million won) Proposal." WSJ pointed out that "Koreans prefer to propose in a luxurious hotel suite with designer bags." The article was published at the bottom of the front page of WSJ.
The media then introduced the case of Mr. Oh, an office worker in Korea. Mr. Oh recently received a proposal at a high-end domestic hotel. The proposal package, which cost about 1.5 million won for the hotel stay alone, included the accommodation fee as well as flower decorations and champagne.
Mr. Oh also posed holding a bouquet in front of a balloon that said 'Marry Me' to take pictures. Next to Mr. Oh was a shopping bag from the luxury jewelry brand Tiffany. Mr. Oh said, "Everyone prefers a hotel proposal."
Another office worker, Mr. Ha, also said he spent about 5.7 million won on a recent proposal. He said, "Honestly, it is financially burdensome," but added, "My girlfriend's friends were very envious." Mr. Ha installed three cameras in the hotel to film the proposal process and posted it on social media (SNS).
WSJ reported that following this trend, domestic hotels are offering proposal-related package products. For example, Signiel Hotel is selling a room package for proposals called "Eternal Promise." This package allows couples to create precious memories while enjoying the night view from the ultra-high floors of a luxury hotel. Although it costs 1.57 million won, it is popular enough to be booked an average of 38 times per month.
WSJ pointed out that "Korea's marriage rate has fallen to an all-time low," and that "luxurious hotel proposals, which require large expenses, do not help the marriage rate and rather place a burden on couples as a wedding trend."
Controversy Over 'Extravagance of Proposals' on Blind: "It's Okay" vs. "It's Excessive"
This is not the first time the extravagance of proposals has been controversial. Previously, on the office worker community 'Blind,' an office worker named A posted a photo of a hotel room filled with flowers and luxury brand items such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Tiffany, along with a caption saying "Proposal Success," which sparked controversy. At that time, netizens were divided between reactions saying "It's okay since it's a once-in-a-lifetime proposal" and opinions saying "Isn't it excessive no matter what?"
As the controversy grew, A posted an additional message saying, "Of course, I posted it partly because I wanted to brag a little, but I just wanted to give the best day before marriage to someone who was a great support during difficult times," and added, "Did anyone contribute even a 10-won coin to buy these? Please don't look at it with such a negative perspective."
Meanwhile, according to a proposal-related survey released by the marriage information company Duo in November last year, when asked about the 'appropriate proposal cost,' both men and women chose 'between 500,000 won and less than 1 million won' (men 35.3%, women 36.7%).
Next were 'less than 500,000 won' (men 29.3%, women 27.3%), 'between 1 million won and less than 1.5 million won' (men 13.3%, women 17.3%), and 'between 1.5 million won and less than 2 million won' (men 11.3%, women 2.7%) in order.
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