Mass Weddings in Chunan

The other day when I was poking around for info on Chunan (as opposed to Cheonan) for the previous post I came across some photos of a mass wedding that happened there on August 1, 2005. The photo caption reports that 4,600 couples from 186 countries around the world participated in the event.

When I first moved to Korea and taught at an English language school for adults I met a Korean guy that had married a Japanese woman. At the time I was just becoming aware of the fact that Koreans typically went to great lengths to marry other Koreans, and also that Koreans and Japanese people hated one another. You can certainly fiddle with those two accusations -- today Koreans are marrying foreigners more than ever and the Japan vs. Korea rivalry is currently at a low ebb -- but I'm simply trying to represent the two conclusions I was starting to make at the time.

I liked the guy, and what I'm getting at is that I liked the fact that he'd married a Japanese woman. We talked about it in class a fair amount, and only toward the end of the class month did I realize he was a Moonie.

I don't have any big beefs with the Unification Church. I will say that was one of the few things I knew about South Korea before I moved here, and so it's always surprised me that the church isn't more visible within Korea. That student is the only Moonie I've ever met here, and I don't typically see advertisements, churches, or much of anything Moonie-related in Korea. That said, Koreans are pretty good at sweeping image-encroching things under the rug -- the Moonies being no exception, I guess.

I haven't spent much time looking into this, but one thing that's always struck me about the Moonies, mostly the idea of mass weddings, fits into modern-day Korean culture pretty well. As far as I can tell most post-war marriages in Korea up into the late 80s were arranged, and arranged marriages are still happening today, under the guise of the Buddhist-based ma-sun, for which people basically go to a fortune teller (with their parents) who then suggests partners based on numerology compatibility. I think most of the arranged marriages back in the day followed a similar route, with the cavait that today's Koreans (in most cases) have more choice in the decision.

Today, most Korean weddings occur at wedding halls that have as many as two or three weddings happening at the same time on the same floor, with a number of other weddings going on other floors in the same building. This is changing too as people have more money to spend, and spend it on more private wedding affairs where you'll see just one wedding at a time. But that costs money of course.

Frankly, I don't have a big problem with arranged marriage. I'm guessing more good marriages happen due to the fact that the couple is willing to make it work rather than the fact that they both put the cap back on the toothpaste tube or both like science fiction movies. Again, I'm not going to back this up with any hard evidence, but I think it's safe to say the Korean divorce rate is a lot higher today than it was 30 years ago, despite the fact that people have more freedom to choose partners. This probably has more to do with people being less willing to just stick it out in a bad marriage. But if you feel like you have fewer options, chances are you'll make it work one way or another.

Unfortunately, I only taught that student for a month. I'd be curious to know what he's up to now, several years later. I'd like to know if his marriage is still together (bet it is) and how he's managed to keep it going.

Photos from www.life.com.