Getting married in a museum sounds like a beautiful dream, but an expensive one. For example, some art institutions charge couples looking to hitch surrounded by works of art and ancient artifacts hundreds of thousands of dollars for their services. However, in South Korea, the situation is about to take a completely different route. The country’s government has announced that it is planning to turn Korean museums into wedding venues to combat the decline in marriage and birth rates.

Korean Museums Will Become Wedding Venues to Raise Childbirth Rates

The South Korean government is taking an unusual approach to dealing with the massive decrease in people willing to tie the knot. South Korea, a country with the lowest fertility rate in the world, has found a new way to take advantage of its robust art scene to encourage young people to get married. Dozens of public Korean museums and art galleries across the country will soon start functioning as wedding venues.

According to research, the main reason why young Koreans are hesitant to get married is the lack of funds and the high prices set by wedding-related businesses. For comparison, getting married in South Korea is around several thousand dollars more expensive than in countries like the US and the UK, which are generally regarded as expensive countries to live in. The fact that businesses do not straightforwardly disclose their pricing also scares away those who have limited funds to spend on a wedding. The South Korean Finance Ministry stated that all museum-turn-wedding venues will be forced to showcase exact prices for their services on the Korea Consumer Agency website.

Among the institutions that will be available for holding wedding ceremonies are the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the National Folk Museum of Korea. A Finance Ministry representative noted the locations were chosen based on their customizability, as well as whether they have an open-air area.

Turning art venues into wedding venues might benefit both the national art market and the marriage rates in the country. Alternatively, many have expressed that the high cost of living is only the tip of the iceberg. They believe that the real reason behind the marriage decline is women choosing not to get hitched due to sexism and the expectations imposed on them by society.