Actor Lee Seo-jin firmly expressed his decisive view on the controversial "wedding gift money debate."
On the 24th, a live broadcast was held on the Channel Fullmoon channel under the title "Different from others, Lee SeoGenie's counseling corner."
On that day, producer Na Young-seok hosted a counseling segment listening to subscribers' concerns together with Lee Seo-jin, whose MBTI is 'T'. Then, in the final segment, a letter appeared saying the writer had received a mobile wedding invitation from a school friend after seven years, drawing attention.
The writer said, "We were close in school but after graduation we neither met nor contacted each other much. Suddenly, after seven years, I got a message asking if I could come two months from now and they sent a mobile wedding invitation. I only saw this friend while attending school and a lot of time has passed since then, so calling them a close friend is mostly symbolic," expressing their concern.
They continued, "They were a good friend back then, but the wedding venue is far and I was taken aback by the sudden contact. People around me were divided, saying, 'Just send 50,000 won and be done with it' or 'Don't send anything,' or 'You were close, so go and see their face.' Others said, 'If you attend the wedding, 100,000 won including the meal is proper,' 'If you don't attend, just 50,000 won,' or 'For friends who suddenly contact you after years, just give congratulatory words,' and opinions varied, so I'm curious about the proper way to congratulate in such a relationship," and asked for advice.
Hearing this, Na Young-seok said, "This is a really difficult letter," and asked Lee Seo-jin, "Have you reached a conclusion? Did an answer come to mind, or is this a difficult problem?" Then Lee Seo-jin, somewhat angrily, expressed discomfort, saying, "After seven years, to call and send a wedding invitation..." In response, Na Young-seok intervened, saying, "Don't swear. Call them 'the person who sent the invitation.'"
Lee Seo-jin tried to say "that friend" but then said, "Make it milder," and the screen briefly showed the caption "language being softened." When he reappeared on screen, Lee Seo-jin said angrily, "If it were me, I wouldn't go to the wedding and I'd just cut off contact with this friend. Why would I congratulate them? Cut off contact without any of that. It's ridiculous. A friend who didn't keep in touch calls and sends a mobile invitation," showing his anger.
Na Young-seok said, "I think answers differ by person," and Lee Seo-jin said, "If you haven't met or contacted someone for about seven years, they should come in person to give an invitation. What kind of friend are they if they send it via mobile? You don't even have to go to things like that. If it's been a long time, you should meet once and at least eat and say, 'I'm getting married' — that's proper. Suddenly calling and sending a mobile invitation saying, 'I'm getting married' — what, are they going to send an account number too? I hate that the most. You don't even need to look at it. Even if you congratulate them and give money, it won't change their relationship. They won't keep in touch. They'll live without contacting you anyway," he said firmly.
In response, Na Young-seok said, "I think this person expressed it a bit strongly, but I somewhat agree. They must have had their reasons. I think they contacted after worrying about it," giving his opinion, and Lee Seo-jin said in a strong tone, "They didn't worry. In my view, there aren't many people to invite. They have no friends. So they called around to get money. So you don't have to go to things like this, and even if you go, will they hang out with you afterward? They won't."
Na Young-seok also agreed, saying, "That's right. Actually, a friend who continues like this isn't really a continued friendship," and Lee Seo-jin said, "And the friend who got the money will call at their own wedding? They won't come." Na Young-seok added, "Actually, the expression is a bit different, but I do agree. I don't want to criticize the person who contacted them. Maybe there really weren't people to invite. So perhaps that person mustered courage to contact them, and they would know that. But if it's a concern to them to that extent, then probably you don't have to go," conveying the nuance that they might not need to attend.
Lee Seo-jin urged the writer, "If you're timid, you don't have to go," and Na Young-seok asked, "How do you usually handle weddings of celebrities or juniors in the entertainment industry?" To that, Lee Seo-jin said, "If I don't go, I absolutely don't send money. I don't do just sending money. I think going and giving money there is right; sending money without going is a really wrong custom and culture. Why send money without going? Going to the wedding is the celebration. You go to congratulate and then give money; sending money without going is not congratulating at all," he said, expressing his conviction.
Na Young-seok said, "Or if you can't make it on the wedding day, you can arrange another day to express congratulations before or after," and Lee Seo-jin said, "Then later when you meet, say 'Sorry I couldn't go to the wedding' and give the money directly there. Say, 'I couldn't go then so I didn't give it.' Only at that level of closeness should you attend a wedding," he said.
Hearing this, Na Young-seok said, "I actually sympathize with this a bit. There remains a sense of empty formality. If someone is truly close and deserves congratulations, you'd go to see their face, sincerely congratulate them and give money — that's right. Don't you hear a lot of talk about 50,000 won, 100,000 won, how much if you go, how much if you don't? I fully understand it's a difficult issue because of various social and personal relationships, but fundamentally it's correct," he agreed.
Then sharing a wedding attendance anecdote, he said, "There are people who sit, don't go up, and just drink, but still they go and congratulate in person, sit with colleagues, have a drink — that's the right thing. If it's that kind of relationship now, even if you go, there won't be anyone to sit and drink with. Ambiguous friends. Because you haven't seen them in a long time, you'd just go with a casual 'oh' and that's it," he pointed out.
At this, Lee Seo-jin said, "Don't they at least serve a meal?" which made people laugh. Na Young-seok, embarrassed, said, "They would. Why wouldn't they? They always serve a meal," and Lee Seo-jin said, "Even if you go and pay, they might say 'no meal today.' These days some weddings don't serve a meal. A 2 or 3 p.m. wedding doesn't have a meal," repeatedly showing a negative reaction toward the friend in the letter. Netizens largely agreed, saying, "Lee Seo-jin is right," empathizing with his blunt manner of speaking.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Channel Fullmoon
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