[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] In China, a man in his 30s drew attention after deciding to get married following just a five-minute video call, only to ask for a divorce nine days after registering the marriage.
According to Zhonghua Net and SCMP, 32-year-old Gu, who lives in Deqing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, visited a local matchmaking agency after being pressured by his parents to marry. He paid a 200 yuan membership fee and signed up, but he failed to build a relationship with three local women he was introduced to. A matchmaker then suggested a 'speed marriage' with a woman from another region, and Gu's family agreed.
The woman introduced by the agency was a 30-year-old from Shaanxi Province. The agency said she had no debt or criminal record and did not suffer from any serious illness. It also said she had agreed to a 'fast marriage' and a long-distance marriage.
The two met for the first time over a video call. The call lasted only five minutes. Gu asked about the woman's job and family background, and she said she worked in sales. Most of the questions, however, were answered by the matchmaker. The agency promised to provide a credit check and pre-marital health screening results before the wedding.
Gu's family decided to go ahead with the marriage without meeting her in person. They spent a total of 265,000 Chinese yuan, including 100,000 yuan in bride-related expenses and 160,000 yuan in matchmaking fees. The woman later moved to Zhejiang Province, and the couple registered their marriage three days after being introduced. It is reported that neither set of parents ever met face to face.
Problems emerged soon after the wedding. The matchmaking agency did not provide the promised credit report or pre-marital health screening documents. Gu then visited a bank with his wife to check her credit record and learned that she had about 100,000 yuan in debt under her name. The woman explained that the debt was related to a former boyfriend and had nothing to do with her.
Gu also found that the real-name information on the mobile payment app she used did not match the name he had been given. She later admitted that her liver levels were high and that she needed to lose weight, but insisted that this would not affect childbirth.
In the end, Gu asked for a divorce just nine days into the marriage. The woman initially agreed, but later changed her position and filed for divorce herself. During the process, she said she had been diagnosed with depression and demanded 50,000 yuan in damages. She also claimed that Gu had forced her to wear makeup and pressured her to do housework and find a job. Meanwhile, Gu filed a separate lawsuit against the matchmaking agency, seeking a refund of the 160,000 yuan brokerage fee. The agency, however, argued, "We cannot issue a refund because the woman we introduced did, in fact, marry him," and added, "Isn't he trying to stage a fake divorce to get the introduction fee back?"
Internet users who saw the story reacted with comments such as, "It's absurd to treat marriage like a game," "What's even more surprising is making a life-changing decision in just a few days," and "It's more unrealistic than a soap opera."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
