Comedian Ahn Young-mi, who skipped her own wedding, calls Korean wedding culture 'factory-like'

Comedian Ahn Young-mi, 42, who registered her marriage without holding a wedding ceremony, has shared her candid thoughts on Korean wedding culture.

On Tuesday's broadcast of MBC FM4U's "Dusi-ui Deite Ahn Young-mi-imnida," a radio show she hosts, she heard from a listener already stressed about planning a wedding for next May.

Ahn expressed surprise, saying, "Next May is almost a year away — do you really have to start preparing now?"

"I didn't have a wedding ceremony," she said. "I only filed the marriage registration and never wore a dress. I have no idea how hard the preparation process is."

Ahn sympathized with the difficulty of wedding planning, noting that people around her who had gone through it said it was "not worth doing." But she added a sharper critique: "Even after all that preparation, go to the wedding hall and it's over in 20 minutes. It's like a factory. Nothing stays with you. You just take photos." She added, "I wonder if you really need to have a wedding at all."

She acknowledged the practical realities, saying, "Since it's about two families coming together, I think a ceremony probably should be held." She also offered the listener some encouragement: "If both sides dig in, you'll fight. I hope you each give a little and make it work."

Ahn married a non-celebrity working at a foreign company in 2020. The following year, she said on a broadcast, "I had no idea COVID-19 would drag on this long. I planned to file the marriage registration first and hold the ceremony two or three months later." She has since mentioned wanting to hold a wedding, including concerns about receiving congratulatory cash gifts, but has ultimately gone six years without holding one.