Major wedding dress shop suddenly closed, inflicting 1 billion won in damages

[Anchor]

A famous custom wedding dress shop in Gangnam, Seoul, has suddenly announced its closure, causing significant damage to engaged couples.

The estimated amount of damages is over 1 billion won, and the victims are preparing for a class action lawsuit.

Choi Hye-rim reports.

[Report]

Inside the darkened store, wedding dresses are hanging.

This well-known custom wedding dress shop in Gangnam, Seoul, had been promoting itself using celebrities.

Just a few weeks ago, the shop was still accepting reservations for wedding dresses, but on Oct. 11th, it suddenly informed customers of its closure.

The notice stated that due to company circumstances, they would cease operations, and that phone or text responses would not be possible, but refunds would be processed sequentially.

[Local resident near the shop/voice altered: "They moved out this morning. The owner was here until Thursday, but hasn't been here since Friday."]

[Representative of a nearby business/voice altered: "It's been about 10 years. It was quite famous. It was doing well at first. Still, it was a company with a name..."]

A prospective bride, Ms. A, who is set to marry in April next year, also trusted the shop's reputation and signed a contract, only to find she would not receive her groom's attire.

[Ms. A/Victim/voice altered: "I never thought this would happen to me. The company, the employees, and the owner must have known that this could happen."]

In a group chat created by the victims, over 700 people have gathered.

One victim has lost over 20 million won, and the total estimated damages are expected to exceed 1 billion won.

[Victim B from the wedding dress shop closure/voice altered: "Since wedding attire is prepared for a specific day, it's not just about the money... It exploited the psychology of wanting to feel special."]

In addition, inquiries about contract cancellations are continuing at branches that only shared the shop's name through a franchise system, leading to further damages.

The victims are preparing a class action lawsuit against the shop's owner.

This is KBS News, Choi Hye-rim.