A, a Navy officer, had planned to hold a wedding this year after dating for four years, but has been ill at ease lately. It is because a legal dispute between the Navy and the operating company has continued over the Navy Hotel wedding hall that was reserved early.
The wedding hall said there would be "no problem holding the wedding," but A is considering postponing the ceremony or looking for another venue just in case. 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 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 preparations for existing contract customers' ceremonies and ensure stable operations." It also said, "For customers who feel uneasy due to the recent situation, a full refund of the deposit is possible regardless of the deposit refund policy."
The Navy Hotel wedding halls in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District and in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, were popular among service members and their families for their relatively low expense and good meal quality. But the situation changed after the results of an inspection related to suspicions of the operator's long-term monopoly were released.
The Navy Hotel wedding halls in Seoul and Jinhae had been run under consignment by two private companies. These companies continued operations through private contracts since 2013. However, allegations of falsified receipts and hospitality for a former chief of naval operations surfaced during audits by the Board of Audit and Inspection and the Navy's own inspection, 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 seeking to halt the effect of the terminations. Their applications for injunctions were not accepted, but the main suits are still ongoing.
◇ Parking confusion and even expense burdens… considering postponing ceremonies
Users of the wedding hall voiced anxiety. B, a Navy officer who booked the Navy Hotel wedding hall, said, "The company says the wedding can proceed as normal, but I'm worried because I don't know when or how things might change."
A parking problem has also erupted. The Seoul Navy Hotel wedding hall had used facilities inside a nearby base as a parking lot, but the Navy recently restricted use, so an alternative parking lot is being arranged and operated. However, the location keeps changing, causing ongoing confusion.
It is not easy to move to another venue. Other military welfare wedding halls are known to be up to about four times more expensive than the Navy Hotel.
C, a Navy officer, said, "Because of the expense burden and the tight schedule, I'm 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 budget."
◇ Navy says "unauthorized business"… company says "legitimate operation"
With the Navy and the operators taking opposing positions, there is a possibility the dispute will be prolonged. The Navy believes the companies have been occupying the facilities without authorization and continuing to do business even after the terminations.
A Navy official said, "We have been providing advance notice to customers experiencing inconvenience due to cancellations," and "We are taking necessary measures to minimize damage."
The operators, on the other hand, argue that the terminations were unjust and that current operations are legitimate under the contracts. The companies said, "Even if a contractual dispute arises, we must continue to perform our duties until a successor trustee is designated," and, "It is not true that (the Navy) is presenting normal operations as if they were illegal acts."