Fair trade watchdog to probe unfair pricing in wedding industry

Korea’s fair trade watchdog said on Thursday that it will launch inspections of the wedding industry starting next month to tackle unfair pricing.

The Fair Trade Commission’s (FTC) probe comes after Korea made it mandatory last year for wedding planning service providers to post detailed pricing guidelines and cancellation and refund policies on their official website or the Korea Consumer Agency’s website.

The regulation requires wedding planning service providers to disclose this information for each affiliated service provider, including photo, dress and makeup studios.

“The inspection aims to encourage more businesses to adhere to the new guidelines, as many have yet to fully comply with the regulation despite its implementation in November 2025,” the FTC said.

The commission will check whether wedding planning service providers have posted such key information online and impose fines of up to 100 million won ($69,200) on violators.

“We aim to help engaged couples make reasonable decisions by ensuring that they have full access to pricing information,” the FTC said.

Yonhap