PETALING JAYA – A video of a young Malaysian couple exchanging wedding vows in a bookshop in South Korea has gone viral on social media.
According to The Star’s Malay-language portal mStar, the couple held their wedding ceremony in the Islamic Book Center in Seoul with just their winter coats, a ring and a dowry of 200,000 won (RM756).
The four-minute video on Facebook has since been viewed more than 137,000 times.
The groom in the video is seen wearing an orange sweater and a green jacket while his bride wears a white beige flower headscarf with black overalls.
The witness to the wedding, Mohd Zulhilmi Abd Karim, 29, said such a simple wedding ceremony was not unusual in South Korea as many Muslims couples of different nationalities also choose to get married at the Islamic Book Center there as it was free.
Mohd Zulhilmi said that most couples getting married there commonly wear simple clothes.
The couple in the video, Abdul Fakkar Maudidi Safi, 27, and Khadijah Salamah Ibrahim, 30, was married by qadi Sheikh Muneer Ahmad from Kashmir, India.
Mohd Zulhilmi said the qadi, a Muslim judge who interprets and administers Islamic laws, would call the bride’s family to obtain permission to marry the couple and ensures that the groom is financially sound.
This was in addition to the ring and dowry that the groom provides for the ceremony.
He added that like any other couple, couples from Malaysia that wed in South Korea would have to re-register their wedding in their country of origin.
“I am happy that I am able to be a witness the wedding ceremony for those who want a legitimate union,” said Mohd Zulhilmi, who now permanently lives in South Korea.
