25% Would Attend: "To Sincerely Congratulate Them"
75% Would Not Attend: "No Real Reason to Go"
When invited to an ex-partner's wedding, 7 out of 10 single men and women said they would not attend.
Gayun, a matchmaking company, conducted a survey from June 18 to June 25, asking 500 single men and women (250 men and 250 women aged 25 to 39) whether they would attend their ex-partner's wedding. As a result, 75.4% of all respondents answered, "I would not attend," indicating that most people would decline the invitation. Only 24.6% said they would attend.
The main reason for wanting to attend was "to sincerely congratulate and support them," chosen by 48.8% of respondents. This was followed by "because I still have many mutual friends or acquaintances" (20.3%), "because I am curious about how wonderful the wedding will be" (13%), "because I am curious about my ex-partner's spouse" (7.3%), "because I want to let go of any lingering feelings" (6.5%), and "other reasons" (4.1%). Other responses included "because there must be a reason for the invitation" and "because I think it's polite."
On the other hand, the majority of those who would not attend said, "Regardless of how we broke up, there is no real reason to go" (74%). This was followed by "because I think it is not worth the time and effort to attend" (10.9%), "because I think the congratulatory money would be a waste" (8.2%), "because we did not part on good terms and I do not want to see them" (4.2%), "other reasons" (1.6%), and "because I still have lingering feelings" (1.1%). Other responses included "because I think the invitation was just out of courtesy" and "because it would not be polite to their spouse."
According to the results, the percentage of women who said they would not attend (82%) was higher than that of men (68.8%), and the percentage was higher among those in their 30s (76.9%) than those in their 20s (72.3%). This is believed to be because the likelihood of having had a serious relationship with marriage in mind and then breaking up increases with age. It can also be interpreted that women are more likely to avoid revisiting past relationships and emotions that have already been resolved.
Kwak Youngran, a couple manager at Gayun's Daejeon branch, said, "The response that there is no real reason to attend resonated with many people, which also reflects a focus on the present rather than the past," adding, "As with everything, ending things well when meeting and parting with someone is important for making a good new start."
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