Man fined for concealing marriage from agency

A South Korean court has ordered a man in his 30s to pay a matchmaking success fee and a triple penalty after he married a woman introduced by an agency and failed to report the marriage.

Court officials said Monday that Judge Bang Chang-hyun of the Seoul Central District Court ruled for the matchmaking firm in its lawsuit against the man, identified by his surname Choi. The court ordered him to pay 11.88 million won in success fees and 35.64 million won in contractual penalties.

Choi joined the agency in September 2022 and agreed to pay a separate success fee if he married through a match arranged by the company, in addition to the membership fee. The contract also stated that clients who conceal a marriage must pay a penalty equal to three times the success fee.

Choi met a woman through the agency in January 2023 and married her in June of that year without informing the company. After learning of the marriage later, the firm filed a lawsuit.

The court said the success fee was a deferred payment for services already provided. It added that the company would have difficulty confirming a marriage without notice from the client, and that the penalty clause was intended to ensure disclosure.

Choi argued that he had withdrawn from the service a month before the wedding and was not required to pay. The court rejected the claim, saying the contract required payment even if the marriage occurred after the contract period ended and that withdrawal did not relieve him of that obligation.


고도예 yea@donga.com