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Korea¡¯s rapidly growing divorce rate is eroding any stigma attached to tying the knot for a second or third time, and an entire industry is making a living on the proceeds.
There are even dedicated wedding halls for those getting married again. One of them is Petit Wedding, in southern Seoul. When it opened in 2004, many doubted it would succeed; now there are plans for another two branches.
The growth rate of the second-marriage market exceeds that of the conventional industry. One reason is that those who tie the knot again tend to be financially more independent than young couples having their first shot at marriage. Industry insiders estimate the value of the market at W2.3 trillion (US$2.3 billion) as of last year.
Matchmaking firm Duo last year established a team dedicated to remarriages only. Some 25 percent or 4,958 of the company¡¯s 20,095 clients are paying to meet their soul mate after their first marriage ended. Durimoa only deals with divorcees and saw sales increase seven times since 2002. A staffer says there are about a dozen firms specializing in the field.
Hotels also benefit from the special demand. Second marriages account for about 10 percent of the total weddings in five-star hotels, says a Ritz-Carlton staffer, and the growth rate is also 10 percent.
The wedding planners say their customers become more discerning as they don¡¯t want their second shot at lifelong happiness to go the way of the first, with second weddings typically on a smaller but choicer scale than the first. ¡°I thought I have to get it right this time,¡± says Tak, who got married again on March 1. ¡°I hired a wedding planner to take care of my ceremony and gave a luxurious party without inviting too many people.¡±
¡°It¡¯s only natural that an increase in divorce leads to the growth of related industries,¡± says Chung Young-suk, a professor at Daegu University. ¡°The majority of women who get married for the second time, especially, are professionals and economically independent, and that¡¯s why the market is growing so sharply.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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