Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Lekker]

A month ago I deemed it unnecessary to bank with Woori, so after 3 years of dealing with them stamping my passport and more recently their malevolent spy ware I encountered within their Internet banking, I went there last month and closed my account. I withdrew the remaining 300,000 won from my account and walked over to IBK and opened a new account.

I had all my monthly payments redirected from my new IBK account. Since I work at a public school, I asked for a VISA card. The woman, who had spent a significant time in LA, so her English was spot on, told me that there wouldn't be any problem in applying for a VISA given account that I show her my contract from my school.

This past Friday, my monthly pay was sent to my old account at Woori? Even after I told my boss about my new bank account with IBK. They apologized.

I went to Woori, and "re closed" my bank account. Is this legitimate? I actually closed my bank account a SECOND TIME. What the HELL is going on here? The man at the bank told me that it takes a month to close a bank account in Korea, because the paperwork takes time. At the end of our meeting, I get a text message in Korean saying that my Woori account has been closed.

So I took my monthly salary in cash from Woori and brought it over to IBK. This is where it gets dirty.

As I am sitting in the reception area, a man comes up to me and says "what are you doing," I reply "I am waiting to deposit this money here," he replies "You can take it to the machine and deposit it directly into the cash machine."

I go to the cash machine, and sure enough, there is no option to deposit cash, at least not in English (Gee I wonder why???) so I sit back down and the woman who opened my account for me tells me that "BECAUSE I AM A FOREIGNER" they are unsure if I can receive a VISA card, even though I work for a public school.

I show them the receipt from Woori, showing them what the school had paid into my Woori account that had originally been closed a month ago. The woman told me that they need to see my salary being deposited directly into my new account.

I then told her that I really didn't care about a VISA card to begin with. I then told her I wanted to wire half of my salary home to my account in the States. This is where it gets REALLY weird.

She takes the money out of my account, 1.2 million, and comes out with the paperwork, I fill it out, then she says something like this...

"I'm sorry, we have, I mean Korea has rule, where you can only wire money home from one bank at a time, per year. So you have been wiring money home from Woori bank, you can't wire money home from IBK."

"Uhh, I just closed my Woori account for the second time..."

She looks more than puzzled now. "I need to call Woori and talk to them about this."

She then put my money BACK into my account. "Come back to us in a month after your next pay day."

Now I can not send money home, I have to pay off college loans here and because this country blows big fuckk butt nuts when it comes to banking, I am not going to be able to make payments on time, thus resulting in me being charged more for the month.

Who knows when this will be resolved?

She then asked me if I wanted tea, with a smile. I told her to keep her tea, to let a Korean drink it. I then asked her what she would do if she were in my shoes. She says something like this...

"I understand, I lived in China for a few years, and they were crazy to me when I wanted to send money home. Have you ever lived in another country besides Korea?"

"Yes, I lived in Germany and the Bahamas and I never had these kinds of problems that you are creating here. Please let me send my money home today so that I can make my monthly payments on my college loans. Please save me the hassle, please do not proceed to insult my intelligence here, and tell me what the real story is here."

"I'm sorry, I need to call Woori bank and talk to them about this."

[SOOHWA101]

Damn!!

I don't like that story.

And no...you are not out of line.

[articulate_ink]

The rule about only doing wire transfers from one bank has bitten me in the ass before too. I'm sorry this happened to you. There's nothing I can suggest, unless moving on to a relatively sane country with banks that don't suck hot sick ass is something you can do in the near future. I'm out of here in 28 days and it's like looking forward to resurrection after 3 years of being dead.

[jadarite]

I don't know about the wiring situation, I think you got too many issues piled up and the bank lost trust in you.

What I would have done is given the money back to the school, then have them re-deposit the money into the right back account. Solve the problem where it originated.

I had my school send money to my American bank account. They could do that and bypass Korean bank accounts altogether. Then you pay off your loan between American bank accounts instead of trying to match a Korean bank account with an American bank account. The school wouldn't be a foreigner in this case, so it would seem more legit to the Korean bank sending the money.

[Lekker]

[RJjr]

Dave Sperling should branch out into hawala banking. He'd make a fortune.

[Lekker]

I'm not blaming the entire Korean race for my problems. I said that if it weren't for the help of foreigners, she wouldn't have the luxurious job she has, working in a system that denies foreigners access to control over their own money. Right now, I can not send my own fucking hard earned money home to pay off debt that I am struggling to accomplish, like a lot of other foreigners here in Korea rightn ow. And yes, it's typical Korea. ask for foreign assistance to help them get to where they want to be, then when foreigners come in, treat them like shit and blame them for THEIR problems.

I'll make another harsh statement in regards to they way policies are enforced on foreigners here. My opinion, the U.S. Army should pack up and leave. Let them caress their values and practices on their own. I would love to see how long this country would last. Yes, I am biting the hand that has been feeding me for some time now, but quite honestly, I am sick of this shit altogether. I think a lot of other people here can agree.

[eac02]

[jkelly80]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Korean banks have a long ways to go before they get up to international standards. I posted my story the other day: I have several million Won left over in travelers checks that I got from a branch of my bank in one town and wanted to deposit in a different branch in a different city (I moved) and found out Friday that the checks will have to be sent to the US, checked, then returned here. It will cost me W135,000.

[madoka]

[Cheonmunka]

As for the malevolent spyware that had you move bank ... we are with a certain bank and I have a few ID secure things on the PC. I'm not sure they are spyware ... at times an anti-virus might highlight them but they are not malicious.
Maybe you can just go back to Woori as I bet IBK will have the same shit.

[kentucker4]

The more I deal with them, Korean people piss me off in general.

[Temporary]

You should have gone with Nonghyup.. Never had problems with transfers.

[Stevie_B]