Photo not related to article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo not related to article. [Getty Images Bank]

An online debate broke out after a story emerged about a family of four who attended a colleague's wedding and gave only 100,000 won ($68) as a gift.

The story was posted on the online community Nate Pann under the title "Is it really such a great sin that four family members attended and gave 100,000 won?"

The author, identified only as A, said the entire family — including a spouse and two preschool-age children — attended a colleague's wedding at a banquet hall in Gangnam, Seoul.

A said the family came to celebrate a close colleague and gave 100,000 won as a gift.

"Even considering recent prices, I thought 100,000 won was reasonable for two adults and two children," A wrote, adding that the family celebrated sincerely throughout the ceremony and the children enjoyed the buffet.

A few days later, however, an unexpected conversation came up over lunch with the colleague.

The colleague said the venue had charged 90,000 won per person for the meal, and that learning a family of four had come and given only 100,000 won had been a shock. "I honestly didn't know what to think — I wondered if that's really how close we were," the colleague said.

A pushed back, saying a wedding is a place to offer congratulations, not conduct business, and that the couple should have been grateful the family showed up at all.

Once the story went public, most online commenters said A's behavior had been inappropriate.

"If you were only going to give 100,000 won, you should have come alone," many said, with others adding that a family of four should have given at least 200,000 won. Some called it unusual to bring the whole family to a colleague's wedding, with one commenter saying it looked less like a celebration and more like a family outing for a free meal.

A minority of commenters took a different view. Some said it was disheartening to compare a guest's gift against the cost of a meal, while others argued that choosing an expensive venue was the couple's own decision and that expecting guests to effectively cover the per-head catering cost was going too far.


choigo@heraldcorp.com