<Anchor>
A large wedding company in Gangnam, Seoul, which helps prospective couples prepare for their wedding, suddenly announced the closure and cut off contact. Hundreds of prospective couples who signed a contract were struck by lightning.
By Nam Jung-min, staff reporter.
<Reporter> This
is a wedding preparation agency in Gangnam, Seoul.
The office is empty, and only wedding photos and wedding dresses for display are hanging blankly.
Late last night (30th), the CEO of 20 wedding planners and other employees said that he was going bankrupt due to financial difficulties, and he suddenly dismissed and disappeared.
The prospective couples who signed a contract with this company were notified of the closure of the business only today.
[Kim Seong-ryeol / Victim (married in April next year): I got a text message from the bride-to-be saying that (wedding company) is going out of business at dawn. The planner just blew me through KakaoTalk. After that, I can't even contact them.]
The company in question is a large wedding preparation agency with 106,000 members, and has taken care of wedding photos for prospective couples, wedding preparations, and robes customization and makeup reservations.
[Originally, I signed a contract like this: 10% down payment, 60% down payment, and 30% balance, but suddenly they asked for the balance. I thought it was a little weird, but I paid for it anyway... .] About
800 people have gathered until this evening in the group Kakao Talk room where the victims have gathered.
Hundreds of prospective couples were in a position to lose up to millions of won in the name of down payment and balance.
Money is money, but the imminent wedding is about to be cancelled, so it's not the only heartache.
[You have to make money in a hurry and pay it again, and it is different for each affiliated company, but in some companies, 'we can't contract'
.] The
victims decided to file a complaint with the police and take legal action.
(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Lee Seung-jin, VJ: Kim Hyung-jin)