No Wonder People Don’t Trust Marriage Agencies... The Truth Behind the '300 Million Won Director'

[Financial News] A member who filed a damages lawsuit after discovering that their spouse, whom they met through a marriage agency, had a false background, ultimately lost the case at the Supreme Court of Korea.
According to legal sources on the 3rd, the Supreme Court of Korea upheld a lower court’s ruling on the 23rd of last month, confirming the defeat of Ms. Lee, a Busan resident, in her final appeal against a marriage agency for damages.
In February 2022, Ms. Lee paid a membership fee of 2.7 million won to join the agency and was introduced to Mr. A, described as a 'childcare center director with an annual income of 300 million won.' They married in June of the same year. However, after filing for divorce just a month later, Ms. Lee discovered that Mr. A was actually an administrative staff member, not a director, and his annual income was only 56 million won.
Ms. Lee filed a damages lawsuit in September 2023, claiming the agency failed to properly verify her spouse’s background. However, both the first and second trials were dismissed. The court stated, 'Although Mr. A’s position and income differed from the facts, considering that his parents planned to transfer the childcare center to him, the agency’s intent or negligence cannot be established.'
The agency explained, 'We verify marital status, education, and occupation through documents, but for self-employed individuals, members are advised and required to sign that they must confirm income directly during the dating process.' The agency added, 'As we are not an investigative authority, it is difficult to regularly verify income.'
Similar cases continue to emerge. A woman in her 20s, Mr. B, said she learned only later that the man introduced to her by the same agency had a criminal record for a fine. She questioned, 'I wonder if the agency’s identity verification system is functioning properly.'
According to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), there were 1,188 requests for dispute resolution related to domestic marriage agencies from 2021 to June last year, and the number continues to rise annually. Experts point out the need for institutional measures to strengthen the information verification obligations of marriage agencies.


jjw@fnnews.com Jung Ji-woo Reporter