Supreme Court: "Difficult to Conclude Agency Registration Was False," Plaintiff Loses
Complaints Grow Over Inadequate Identity and Income Verification... Surge in Victims
A woman who paid 2.7 million won to be introduced to a “director of a daycare center with an annual income of 300 million won” and went on to marry him later discovered that both his job and income were fabricated. She filed a lawsuit, but ultimately lost. This has reignited controversy over the inadequate background checks conducted by marriage agencies.
Lee, a 37-year-old resident of Busan, joined a major marriage agency in February 2022, paying 2.7 million won. The man she was introduced to, referred to as A, was described as a “daycare center director with an annual income of 300 million won.” The two married in June of the same year, but conflicts arose within a month, eventually leading to divorce proceedings. During this process, Lee discovered that A was actually an administrative staff member at the daycare center, with an annual income of only 56 million won. The daycare center was registered under A’s parents’ names, and A had registered with the agency while pretending to be the director.
Lee filed a damages suit against the agency in September of the following year, claiming that the agency failed to properly verify her spouse’s information. However, she lost in both the first and second trials, and the Supreme Court also ruled against her on October 23. While the court acknowledged that A’s income and job title differed from what had been claimed, it stated, “Given that A’s parents expressed plans to pass the daycare center on to A, it is difficult to conclude this was a false registration,” and rejected Lee’s claims.
Lee told Yonhap News Agency, “To become a daycare center director, a national certification is required, but A didn’t even have the certificate. Child support was also calculated based on actual income, resulting in significant losses. Now I even have to bear legal fees,” she lamented.
More Victims Emerge... Experts Call for Accurate Background Checks
Similar cases continue to surface. In 2023, a woman in her 20s, referred to as B, paid 3 million won to join the same agency, only to later discover that the man she was introduced to had a criminal record with a fine. She said, “I question whether the agency’s background check system is functioning properly.”
Marriage agencies argue that there are limits to their verification processes. The agency in question explained, “We verify marital status, educational background, and occupation, but in the case of business owners, we instruct clients to confirm income directly during the dating process. As we are not an investigative agency, there are limits to verifying income at regular intervals.”
Recently, complaints about “profile photo scams” have also been widespread online. A representative of a marriage agency stated, “Many young people who value appearance tend to submit their best photos, which sometimes surprises our managers. However, since differences in appearance are subjective, they are rarely accepted as grounds for a refund.”
According to the Korea Consumer Agency, there were 1,188 applications for damage relief related to domestic marriage brokerage services from 2021 to June of last year, and the number is increasing every year. Lee Eunhee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, pointed out, “Since marriage is a major life event, authorities such as the Fair Trade Commission need to require marriage agencies to conduct accurate background checks.”
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