Buzz
A journalist took on the role of pretending to be the bride's friend at the wedding to dine as a hired guest.
'You look splendid! The dress you're wearing looks even more beautiful in person than in the photos you sent me. Others are also on their way there,' I conversed with the bride as I stepped into the wedding waiting room. The room was adorned with white flowers.
She smiled radiantly, thanked me for coming, and hugged me in a surprisingly natural and astonishing way. This was our first encounter.
She hired me to impersonate her friend on her wedding day for 15,000 won (12.60 USD) per hour.
My first assignment as a hired friend commenced with a concise recruitment notice on the KakaoTalk group chat.
'Hong Minh-jung. 30 years old. Working... at a company... in the province... The wedding is on..., at... Seeking up to 10 friends. If interested, please call us'.
I applied with a concise CV including a photo, age, and other personal information, then sent it to her 3 days before the wedding.
There are some basic rules I have to adhere to in this job. Firstly, I need to take a photo with her in the bride's waiting room before the ceremony takes place. Secondly, I must participate in a group photo session after the ceremony. Thirdly, I'm prohibited from conversing with the bride's family members. And finally, I must not forget or mispronounce the bride's name.
After reading the instructions, I proceeded to the wedding hall and mingled with the 'temporary' group of friends. They were also actors portraying the bride or groom's friends at the wedding.
Role Allocation
About 30 minutes before the ceremony, at a café near the wedding venue, I met other actors who were also attending that day. The manager from the service company that hired me and 9 other 'fake' guests for Min-jung were also present.
'Let's divide into 3 groups with different roles including colleagues, old high school friends, and middle school friends,' the woman said.
Since I'm the same age as the bride, I was placed in the middle school friends group along with 2 others in their 20s.
Then the 'performance' began. I entered the waiting room and saw the bride for the first time. She was with her genuine friends and family, or at least that's what I saw.
The next moment, Minjung and I conversed as if we had known each other for years. We linked arms, exchanged warm smiles, and whispered heartfelt conversations.
A Genuine Job
Hiring guests to attend weddings for seat-filling has become popular in South Korea since the early 2000s. Since then, it has expanded to various family gatherings, from baby showers to funerals.
Simply type 'rent wedding guests' on Naver - the largest information portal in South Korea - and you'll get a long list of service providers nationwide.
The cost of hiring someone through a service company is 20,000-30,000 won per person.
'You only need to spend 29,000 won per person. We have an experienced part-time staff who ensures confidentiality for customers', said an employee at the company.
The employee added that if customers wish, they can give cash to the latest actor two days before the wedding. The actor will use this money to give wedding gifts to the bride and groom, making their relatives unable to suspect.
Businesses in this field as well as the entire wedding industry have suffered the consequences of the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic. Gatherings have been restricted. However, things are gradually stabilizing as the government relaxes epidemic control rules.
For actors, this is quite an attractive job. Although the salary is not as high as full-time jobs, it can be considered a weekend job, and the hired person can enjoy delicious meals. The minimum wage per hour now is 8,720 won.
I spent about 1.5 hours at this wedding, enjoying a meal at the buffet restaurant and getting paid 15,000 won.
Song, 29 years old, is someone who joined the 'high school best friends' group with me. She claimed to be a recent college graduate and had earned 60,000 won just within 1 month after attending 4 weddings.
'Some couples will directly hire people on online communities related to wedding organization. They will post job advertisements there', she added. Directly hiring people without going through coordinating companies often pays higher wages.
Song also gave me another tip: If you're chosen to catch the bride's bouquet, you'll earn an extra 3,000 won.
Telling Lies to Keep Up Appearances
After the ceremony, guests moved to a very large hall downstairs. Not long after, the newlyweds began to move to each table to greet the guests.
'Thank you for coming, my dear friends. Let's gather together after I finish my honeymoon,' Min-jung said. She introduced to her relatives and other friends sitting at the same table that we were high school friends.
Perhaps this moment is even more important than our brief appearance in the bride's waiting room, where only a few witnessed her having many 'friends.' Guests occupied almost all the seats, conversation filled the entire hall. The wedding was a great success.
I spoke with a sociology professor. I asked what enables this service business activity to continue to exist?
'In Confucian cultures like Korea and Japan, appearance is important. Reputation, honor, or dignity in personal relationships are valued,' said Yoon In-jin, a sociology professor at Korea University.
Furthermore, community consciousness has deeply ingrained into Korean traditional culture. So, the older generation tends to focus on a big wedding with many guests. That creates a burden for the bride and groom, the professor said.
Right after leaving the wedding hall, I received a message from the service company: 'The payment has been sent. The next wedding is planned for XX. Text us back if you're interested.'
Referencing The Korea Herald
