Regulator finds unfair practices by wedding planners in South Korea

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Tuesday that it has uncovered unfair practices by wedding planners that organize services like photography, dress rentals and makeup, which are often cited as major factors driving up wedding costs in the country, Yonhap reports.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) reported that it identified six types of unfair contract clauses after reviewing the terms of service of 18 wedding planning agencies with the highest number of consumer complaints.

The review revealed that some contracts broke down essential services into optional add-ons, allowing companies to charge additional fees for services that should have been included, the FTC said.

The regulator has ordered adjustments to such contract terms.

The FTC also released survey results indicating that an estimated 52.3 percent of newlyweds used wedding planning agencies as of last year.

In a survey conducted with 500 customers between September and October, 74.2 percent of respondents said they found the additional fees charged by these agencies to be unreasonable.

On average, customers paid between 2.5 million won and 3 million won (US$2,140) per service but ended up spending an extra 1.44 million won beyond their initial budget due to unexpected charges.

According to an industry survey, an average wedding in South Korea costs nearly 72 million won, excluding the cost of buying or renting a home. A separate report by Statistics Korea showed that over 70 percent of South Koreans believe wedding expenses are excessively high.