Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RJjr]

I'm a pretty open and candid individual. Thus, I really don't treasure privacy from the bank, so I'm mainly posting this out of curiosity.

A few weeks after I was hired, I wanted to open a bank account.

First, I went to Shinhan upon the recommendation of some of the Canadian and American teachers. Every foreign teacher at my school has always banked there and they recommended that I see a specific English-speaking banker with whom they've all dealt with many times in the past. I opened an account with a female teller who insisted on helping me. However, I still needed to wire some money to my E*Trade account in the United States. Unfortunately, the English-speaking banker was off that day. Even though I had opened an account at Shinhan, I really wanted to wire the money that day, so I walked down the street to KB.

Opening an account at KB was as easy as it was at Shinhan, but the manager there said he didn't know how to wire the money, so I left. While I'll concede that the international wire transfer instructions on E*Trade's website appear somewhat complex, I was disappointed that the manager of a bank couldn't or wouldn't do it and thought his motives were probably related to interest income. The amount was $5000.00 that I had brought in cash to have as extra money to use as "pimp my apartment" money, emergency cash, etc, but had decided to wire to my E*Trade account instead.

At school, the assistant director was asking me questions relating to direct deposit, so she could set mine up. When she asked where I had a bank account, the director promptly said, "Shinhan." The assistant director and I had talked briefly about KB, so I think she was caught off guard when the director said I had an account with Shinhan. She looked at her and asked, "Shinhan?" The director nodded her head with an assured look of confidence and said, "Yes."

While the director was apparently unaware of my account with KB, I thought it was strange that she knew that I had an account at Shinhan.

I had my direct deposit set up with KB, and nothing out of the ordinary happened since, until yesterday.

Earlier in the week, I decided to go ahead and deposit the $5000 in the bank, so I opened a foreign currency account at KB.

Yesterday, before I went to work, I went to KB and wired $200 via Western Union to a chick in Vietnam. On the Western Union sheet that I had to fill out, one thing it asked was my address. I didn't know my address in English, so I just copied it off of my ARC in Korean. I had done the same thing about a month ago when I was wiring $100 to the same chick and everything went fine.

I went to school and taught my first class. After my first class, there was a sheet of paper on my desk, which I expected to pertain to classes. At the top was my address in English and below it was my address in Korean. It said, "(RJjr), here's your address in English and Korean in case you ever need it." I've been here since June and thought it couldn't have been coincidental that the note was put on my desk a couple of hours after I wrote my address in Korean on a Western Union form. What's more, I didn't even put the name, address, or phone number of my employer anywhere on the form.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture and am glad that I now have my address in English. I'm just wondering how much privacy the banks give us.

[OiGirl]

I think it's safe to assume no privacy, then when you do get some you'll be pleasantly surprised...

[ChuckECheese]

That's f*ed up. I guess there's no such a thing as bank privacy in Korea.

[OiGirl]

I finally read Orwell's 1984 this past spring with much anticipation. In the end, it was no big deal. I guess because I have always felt that Big Brother really was watching me.

[huffdaddy]

[ilovebdt]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Things are SUPPOSED to be better than they used to be, but this post indicates that not much has changed.

Assume that if your boss wants to know your bank balance, he can just call the bank and ask for that information.

[sadsac]

Doctors, banks, it doesn't matter here, your business will most certainly be a topic of discussion.

[spliff]

[RJjr]

Well, I might post some pictures, but I refuse to post her name and specific location. You can contact KB or my boss for that information.

[different]

That is really really f*cked up.

OP, How did the bank know who your boss even was? Were you required to write your place of employment when you opened your account? (It' s been a couple years since I opened an account, so I don't remember.) Do you think the bank contacted your boss after you wired money?

[RJjr]

It was in late June or early July when I opened the accounts. I know that I handed them my passport and ARC to copy, but I'm 98% sure I didn't list anything about my employer or employment.

I went to that one branch of Shinhan just that one time and haven't returned since. I opened the KB account at one branch near where I live, but wired the money from another branch that I like to go to along my walk to school. I don't know exactly how the school finds out about this stuff and I actually wouldn't care, but I'm just really amused by it all and it makes me curious.

I honestly don't know how it happens, but word around here spreads really fast. I recently bought pizza and the lady behind the counter said, "Here, Mr. (RJjr)," as she handed the pizza to me. I don't know how she knew my name. A co-worker thinks my ex-milf has been stalking my pizza joint, though.

[i_teach_esl]

wow, this is really disturbing. im not in korea yet, im working on leaving in march. what do you all do? just live with people knowing your money/business? do you keep stashes of cash at home? have multiple bank accounts?

[OiGirl]

People are going to know all your business, not just your banking business. Your health business, your churching business, your shopping business, just everything.

[i_teach_esl]

yes, but its money im asking about.