韩国人结婚需备20万美金 房子彩礼是大头

The Beatles may have sung "all you need is love," but in South Korea a couple wanting to get married also needs cash, a lot of it - nearly $200,000, or more than four times the average annual income.

The sky-high costs stem from a combination of cultural traditions that mandate expensive pre-wedding gifts between families, such as mink coats and diamond rings, along with a decades-old custom that the groom must fork over money to provide a home.

The average cost for a wedding in 2011 rose about 270 percent from 1999, while the inflation during the same period rose 45.5 percent. Total costs far outstripped the average annual household income at around 48.3 million Korean won ($42,400), according to government data.

Thus, young couples seeking to unite in wedded bliss are forced to borrow from parents or take out loans. With candid discussions of money a cultural taboo in Korea, many are reluctant to speak about the high cost of exchanging vows.

"Korean society is very tightly knit, and people here are very concerned about how others view them," said Harris H. Kim, a sociology assistant professor at Ewha Womans University.

"The wedding works as a status symbol, like a marker of where you stand in the society," he added.

A 30-year old kindergarten teacher who would only give her surname, Kim, said her husband, whose income is 40 million won, took out a loan for 45 million won in addition to financial aid from their parents for a wedding with 600 guests. The couple didn't know half the people, who were their parents' friends.

Gift-giving also takes a hefty chunk of the cash. Traditionally, the bride and groom's families have exchanged gifts - good silk for new clothes and simple jewelry - as a way of thanking the other family. But these days the silk has turned into fur or luxury handbags, while the jewelry has morphed into a full set of gems.

But the biggest part of the wedding budget comes from soaring housing prices, according to data from couple.net, a matchmaking company. The money spent by happy couples for housing last year was 2.5 times higher than in 2000, making up nearly 70 percent of the total cost of a wedding.

"I've had many customers in the last five years who directly asked for a spouse who can at least afford to rent a house," said Sungmi Lee, a manager at couple.net.

甲壳虫乐队虽然高唱 “你需要的只是爱”，但在韩国，想结婚的情侣们还需要钱，而且是很多钱——近20万美元，也就是平均年收入的四倍多。

高昂的结婚花费一方面是由于按韩国文化传统，家庭之间要赠送像貂皮大衣和钻石戒指这样贵重的婚前礼物，另一方面是因为延续数十年的习俗要求新郎出钱买房。

2011年韩国结婚的平均花费相比1999年上涨了270%，而通货膨胀率同比增长45.5%。据政府数据显示，结婚总花费远远超过了韩国年均家庭收入——约4830万韩元（合42400美元）。

因此，想结婚的年轻人不得不向父母借钱或借贷。由于直接谈钱在韩国文化中是禁忌，所以许多韩国人都不愿谈论结婚的高昂花费。

韩国梨花女子大学的社会学助理教授哈里斯•H•金说：“韩国社会是一个人与人之间联系十分紧密的社会，因此韩国人很注重别人对自己的看法。”

他说：“婚礼是一个身份的象征，标志着你在社会中的地位。”

不愿透露名字的30岁的幼儿园老师金女士说，她的丈夫年收入是4000万韩元，为了办600人参加的婚宴，除了父母给予的经济援助外，他还借贷4500万韩元。这些客人有一半夫妻俩不认识，是双方父母的朋友。

送彩礼也占了结婚资金的一大块。传统上，新娘和新郎的家庭间要交换礼物——制作新衣服的优质丝绸和简单的首饰——作为感谢对方家庭的方式。但时至今日丝绸已经被皮草或奢侈手提包所代替，而首饰则演变成了全套宝石。

根据婚介公司couple.net的数据，结婚预算中比重最大的开支就是价格飞涨的房子。去年喜结连理的韩国夫妇的购房花费比2000年高出2.5倍，占结婚总花费的近70%。

couple.net的一名经理李成美说：“过去五年间我有许多客户直接要求介绍的对象至少能租得起房。”