{"id":7249,"date":"2021-12-13T15:14:19","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/?p=7249"},"modified":"2022-02-24T23:43:29","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T04:43:29","slug":"old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Old and New Culture in Modern Korean Society (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been over a decade since I left Korea. I try to keep up with Korean culture by being closely connected with Korean media. I enjoy watching talk shows or real-life tv shows because they teach me the raw reality of Korean culture. One of the reality shows I enjoy watching is \ub098\ud63c\uc790\uc0b0\ub2e4 (I Live Alone). This show features celebrities who live alone. It portrays their daily life over a long period of time. Considering celebrities as <\/span>\uc77c\ubc18\uc778 (il-bahn-in<\/b>: ordinary people) could be hyperbole, but this show definitely shines a light on disparate elements of Korean culture, particularly in <\/span>\uacb0\ud63c \ubb38\ud654 (gyeol-hon-moom-hwa<\/b>: marriage\/ wedding culture).<\/span><\/p>\n

The rate of marriage has been constantly decreasing in Korea. Younger generations have different ideas of <\/span>\uacb0\ud63c<\/b> (gyeol-hon: marriage\/wedding).<\/b> If people once considered marriage as an inevitable milestone in life, young Koreans are hesitant to accept the idea. They measure every ounce of physical, financial, and emotional burden as a married person and compare that with their unlimited freedom as a single person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, I would like to talk about the fast-evolving marriage culture in Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Vitamin on Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

\uacb0\ud63c\ubb38\ud654 (gyeol-hon-moon-hwa:<\/b> marriage\/ wedding culture)<\/span><\/p>\n

Marriage Expenses<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There is no doubt that a wedding is a big festive occasion universally, but also it could be an expensive event. When my brother-in-law got married, I was able to see the similarities and the differences between American and Korean wedding cultures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For both cultures, planning a wedding is always exhausting. Most of all, it makes your wallet very thin in a short time. The truth is that many Koreans avoid getting married due to <\/span>\uacb0\ud63c \ube44\uc6a9<\/b> (<\/span>gyeol-hon-bi-yong: <\/b>marriage expenses). In 2019, average wedding expenses were about 2<\/span>\uc5b5 <\/b>3186 <\/span>\ub9cc\uc6d0 (231,860,000 won)<\/b>, which is equivalent to $195,766 as of December 2021. This is including housing expenses because about 73% of your wedding expenses will go straight into obtaining housing. The rest will be spent on the actual wedding events, which I think is a lot of money to spend for one day. Do you still want to get married?<\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>https:\/\/blog.naver.com\/officialduo\/221477201809<\/span><\/a>)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Image by briannad26 on Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Wedding Gifts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In western culture, a wedding gift registry is common. In Korean wedding culture, <\/span>\ucd95\uc758\uae08 (chook-eui-geum<\/b>: money gift for happy occasions) exists. Some people, of course, do give <\/span>\uc120\ubb3c (sun-mool<\/b>: a gift), but presenting \ucd95\uc758\uae08 at a wedding is the norm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are invited to a Korean wedding, you would not miss a small desk in front of a wedding ceremony site. It is a custom that every guest gives away white envelopes that have money in them at the desk. Then, a person at the desk will ask your name and write the amount of \ucd95\uc758\uae08 on a record book. The married couple will eventually see the records and you would likely get the same amount of \ucd95\uc758\uae08 on your wedding day. There is a customary guideline of \ucd95\uc758\uae08depending upon how close you are to the couple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are wedding gifts between a bride and a groom\u2019s family. <\/span>\ud63c\uc218 (hon-su<\/b>: gifts to a bride\u2019s family from a groom) is supposed to be wedding gifts from the groom\u2019s side and <\/span>\uc608\ubb3c (yea-mool<\/b>: wedding gifts to a groom\u2019s family from a bride) is from the bride\u2019s.\u00a0 In the past, \ud63c\uc218 and \uc608\ubb3cwere given to represent love and gratitude. However, \ud63c\uc218 has been sometimes mistakenly measured as <\/span>\ud604\uae08 (hyeon-geum: <\/b>\u00a0cash) for some people. It is sad, but true that the quantity of \ud63c\uc218 sometimes causes family feuds and becomes a deal-breaker between soon-to-be-married couples.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wedding Culture<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One of the most outstanding differences that I noticed was wedding cultural elements, such as bridesmaids and groomsmen, even flower girls\/boys. These extra guests in a wedding do not exist in traditional Korean weddings, but many young Korean couples have adopted the ideas in their weddings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as I understand, there is <\/span>\ucd1d\uac01\ud30c\ud2f0 (chong-gak-party<\/b>: bachelor party) culture in Korea, but no bridal shower. The closest concept of a bridal shower I can relate to Korean wedding culture is <\/span>\ub3cc\uc794\uce58 (dol-jan-chi:<\/b> the first birthday party), which is geared towards celebrating a baby\u2019s health. However, modern Koreans do celebrate <\/span>\ucc98\ub140\ud30c\ud2f0 (cheo-nyeo-party<\/b>: bachelorette party) and a bridal shower.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by GemmaRay23<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wedding Venue<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Choosing a wedding venue can be a headache.\u00a0 I have seen a variety of wedding venues with different themes in western wedding cultures.\u00a0 In Korea, <\/span>\uc6e8\ub529\ud640 (wedding hall:<\/b> a building particularly designed for a wedding event and a reception party) might save you from a headache.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uc6e8\ub529\ud640 is an all-for-one type of place for an indoor wedding ceremony. \uc6e8\ub529\ud640 is a specifically designed building that is for the wedding ceremony, including <\/span>\ud53c\ub85c\uc5f0 (pi-roh-yeon:<\/b> a wedding reception). Therefore, it is not uncommon for Koreans to get married at \uc6e8\ub529\ud640. However, the downside of this place is over-standardization. In fact, a nickname of this building is \uacf5\uc7a5\ud615 \uc6e8\ub529\ud640 (gong-jang-hyung-wedding hall), which is translated as a factory-style wedding hall. You are not the only bride in this building because a dozen or more couples are getting married at the same time in the same building but just in a different room. You also have limited time to finish your wedding events because the next couple is waiting for your room!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Young Koreans are getting more creative with their wedding styles. Some prefer an outdoor wedding, others have a small wedding, instead of inviting hundreds of guests whom you have never met before. In fact, the idea of having a small wedding with family and friends has been popular after some Korean celebrity couples chose that method.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you think about Korean wedding culture? I will talk about fast-changing Korean cultures with different topics in the next posts. Stay tuned!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

It has been over a decade since I left Korea. I try to keep up with Korean culture by being closely connected with Korean media. I enjoy watching talk shows or real-life tv shows because they teach me the raw reality of Korean culture. One of the reality shows I enjoy watching is \ub098\ud63c\uc790\uc0b0\ub2e4 (I…<\/p>\n

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