A, a Navy officer, had planned to hold a wedding this year after four years of dating, but these days is ill at ease. That is because a legal dispute between the Navy and the operating company over the Navy Hotel wedding hall that was booked early has continued.
The wedding hall said there would be "no problem holding the wedding," but A is considering postponing the ceremony or finding another venue in case of unforeseen circumstances. A said, "I thought it would be stable since it is a facility run by the military, but it has made me more anxious."
As the conflict over the Navy Hotel wedding hall drags on, anxiety is growing among engaged couples who booked the venue. Some have canceled their reservations and moved to other wedding halls.
◇ Anxiety spreads among engaged couples as dispute drags on
On the 10th, a notice was posted on the Navy Hotel wedding hall website saying, "We have decided to temporarily suspend new wedding consultations and contracts for the time being to focus more on preparing weddings for existing contract customers and to ensure stable operations." It also said, "For customers who feel anxious due to the recent situation, it is possible to refund the full deposit regardless of the deposit refund policy."
The Navy Hotel wedding halls in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, and Jinhae District, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, have been popular among service members and their families for their relatively low expense and good meal quality. But the situation changed after results from an inspection related to suspicions of the operator's long-term monopoly were released.
The Navy Hotel wedding halls in Seoul and Jinhae have been operated under consignment by two private companies. These companies continued operations through private contracts since 2013. However, during audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection and an inspection by the Navy, allegations surfaced of issuing false receipts and entertaining a former Navy chief of staff, and the Navy terminated the consignment operation contracts for the Seoul and Jinhae wedding halls in March and May last year, respectively.
The operators filed administrative suits to suspend the effect of the terminations. The injunction requests were not accepted, but the main suits are still ongoing.
◇ Parking confusion and even expense burdens… considering postponing the ceremony
Users of the wedding hall voiced their anxiety. B, a Navy officer who booked the Navy Hotel wedding hall, said, "The company says it can proceed with the wedding as normal, but I'm worried because I don't know when or how things might change."
A parking problem has also arisen. The Seoul Navy Hotel wedding hall had used facilities within a nearby base as a parking lot, but the Navy recently restricted access, and an alternative parking lot is now being operated. However, confusion continues because the location keeps changing.
It is not easy to move the wedding to another venue. Other military welfare wedding halls are said to cost up to four times more than the Navy Hotel.
C, a Navy officer, said, "Because of the expense burden and the tight schedule, we are even considering postponing the wedding altogether." Another officer, D, said, "Because of the anxiety, we hastily switched to another wedding hall, but the expense increased far more than expected, so we will have to cut back on our honeymoon costs."
◇ Navy: "unauthorized business"… company: "legitimate operation"
With the Navy and the operator taking opposing positions, there is a possibility the dispute will be prolonged. The Navy believes the operator has continued to occupy the facilities and conduct business without authorization even after the contract termination.
A Navy official said, "We have provided prior guidance to customers experiencing inconveniences such as reservation cancellations," and added, "We are taking necessary measures to minimize damage."
The operator, on the other hand, argues the termination is unjust and that the current operations are legitimate under the contract. The company said, "Even if a contractual dispute arises, we must continue to perform our duties until a successor trustee is designated," and added, "It is not true for (the Navy) to describe normal operations as if they were illegal acts."