By Choi Sung-jin

Lovers in Korea need more than 270 million won to get married if the statistics of the past few years are any guide.

One thousand couples who tied the knot in the past two years spent an average of 274.2 million won ($228,500), up 15.2 percent, or 36.2 million won, from the previous two years, a wedding consultancy said Monday.

According to Duo Wed, housing cost 191.74 million won, 69.9 percent of the total, followed by 20.81 million won for the wedding, 18.32 million won for wedding gifts, mostly clothing for in-laws, 18.26 million won for jewelry, 16.28 million won for home furnishing and 5.35 million for the honeymoon.

The sharp increase in wedding expenses was due to the 13.9-percent, or 23.39 million- won, rise in housing costs. By age, newlyweds in their 20s spent 205.37 million won for housing, those in their 30s 189.61 million won and 40-something couples, 183.05 million won. The younger the couples, the more they spent on buying or renting homes, it said.

Bridegrooms paid 172.57 million won, or 63 percent of the total average, with the other 101.45 million won shouldered by brides. Compared with the previous period, the financial burden of bridegrooms and brides grew 13.4 percent and 18.4 percent, respectively.

Also noticeable were regional differences. Couples in Seoul and its vicinity spent 294.1 million won, 14.5 percent more than the 256.92 million won spent by their rural counterparts.