Authorities suspect principal tried to collect cash gift before retirement
Education authorities in South Jeolla Province are investigating an elementary school principal who allegedly sent a mobile wedding invitation for a nonexistent ceremony to school employees, falsely claiming his son was getting married, according to media reports Tuesday.
According to the Gwangyang branch of the Jeollanamdo Office of Education, the principal, who is set to retire in August, sent the invitation to a school employee group chat on April 13. He also had it published in his church newsletter.
The invitation said his son and the son’s fiancee would hold a “traditional wedding” at a cultural facility in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, about 140 kilometers north of Gwangyang, where the school is located.
“We ask for your understanding as we are unable to invite you to the ceremony, as it will be held as a small wedding attended only by family members,” the invitation read.
However, some school employees contacted the venue and were told no reservation had been made. It was later revealed that the principal’s son had already married a year earlier.
The principal later sent a separate message claiming the ceremony had been canceled.
Education authorities suspect the principal may have attempted to collect congratulatory money from coworkers before his retirement.
In South Korea, family members, friends and acquaintances commonly give congratulatory cash gifts at weddings. Those unable to attend often wire the money in advance.
“The principal claims he had lost contact with his wife and son after his divorce, and therefore did not know about his son’s wedding,” an official at the district education office said, adding that it had launched an investigation into the case.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
