Korean Job Discussion Forums

Sangjonja · Joined: 03 Mar 2003

For the last 3 years I've sent money home without any problem at all from First Bank. However, now I've moved to Busan and am having no end of hassle with demands for every kind of documentation, plus my passport being stamped and the amount written in there that I am sending home. Ive tried First Bank in Sasang-gu and KEB in Sasang-gu. Anyone know of a more user-friendly bank in Sasang or otherwise anywhere in Busan?

Horangi Munshin · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Location: Busan

If you can find a bank that has some dealing with your home bank that'd be your best bet.

I've done transfers at nonghyup and KB no hassles. I tried Busan bank and they wanted all sorts of shit and stamped my passport, don't go there!

Nonghyup charged 20000won commission and a 7000won wire fee but nothing came out of my bank account at the other end

KB charged 15000won total but about 16000won worth was deducted by my bank at home.

Nonghyup and KB don't stamp your passport and I went into KB with a wad of cash, no questions asked.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

What is wrong with getting your passport stamped?

blah · Joined: 08 May 2003 Location: Ulsan, Korea

In some countries it can lead to huge tax problems.

hojucandy · Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Location: In a better place

woori bank in seomyeon stamped my passport first time i used them but have not since

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

I use Kyeongnam bank and I've never had my passport stamped in 3 years.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

I use Korean Exchange Bank. They wanted to stamp my passport, I told them no way - that is defacing my passport and invalidating it... so they didn't do it. I had to fight though because they said they had to and I said trash... so fight.. show them the rule in your passport which says that anything written on it other than at immigration office/airport by immigration officers leads to the passport being invalidated.

hojucandy · Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Location: In a better place

it doesn't say anything like that in my passport.

besides - for australians, one's income outiside the country has no effect on one's tax in australia so long as yu are out australia for more than 90 days.

happened to me in png a few years ago - i started a job with a new government authority. there was a change of government and the authority was subsequently canned. my contract said they had to pay me a year's salary for "dismissal without cause". trouble was i had only been out of australia for about 4 weeks. so i stayed out of oz for another 2 months and then tried to take the money home... but by this stage the kina had develued so sharply that i lost tens of thousands of dollars.... Crying or Very sad

anyway - i donlt care what anyone writes in my passport. it was severely water damaged recently actually... many of the stamps are illegible... Confused

Sangjonja · Joined: 03 Mar 2003

Many thanks for all the suggestions.
My passport (NZ) says "Any unauthorized alterations or additions made to it will invalidate the document". Don't know what would be considered "unauthorized".
Any other country I've been in I can send money back by simply showing a passport. I resent all the nonsense dished out here. KEB ,after I showed a letter of employment from my university, wanted a monthly account of my pay!!! My earnings here are all legal and I resent being treated like a criminal when I go in to use a simple and straightforward banking service.
My passport, as a record of where I've been, and my money are two seperate things and I wish to keep then that way.

trevorcollins · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

Gollum · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan

Kimchi Cha Cha · Joined: 15 May 2003 Location: was Suncheon, now Brisbane

I've had the same thing lately in Gwangju, too. My Korean bank account's a KB one, so I weny down to the same KB branch I used the previous month to send money home, and saw the same woman I saw that time. The previous time, she saw my passport, alien card and monthly pay bill, and photocopied my passport and alien id. I thought ok, next time I won't need to bring my passport.

I head down on Thursday, I pass over my alien card to view, and then she asks for my passport. I say I don't have it. She says come back tomorrow and show your passport. At this stage, the money had gone through so I was considering not bothering to go back but, I thought maybe it's a new requirement to view passports each time you send money home so I thought I better. Yesterday, I come back. She takes my passport and enters the amount I sent home.

Perhaps, there is a new government ruling requiring this but since I asked co-workers about it, they said where they go, they don't get asked so I guess if you don't like (I didn't really appreciate it), it's best to look for somewhere that doesn't do it.

marista99 · Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Location: Incheon

It could be because I have an account at KEB, but I wire money home from there every month (directly from my account, no cash physically involved) and they haven't ever even asked for ID that I can recall. I needed my passport to open the account but they didn't stamp/write anything in it.