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anyone have USD accounts in Korea?

 
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CA-NA-DA-ABC



Joined: 20 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:32 pm    Post subject: anyone have USD accounts in Korea? Reply with quote

anyone here have USD accounts at a Korean bank?
are the interest rates comparable to KRW accounts?

I hear USD deposits aren't protected by the KDIC unlike regular accounts. Is this unsettling for some of you guys who hold US dollar savings at Korean banks?
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PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Korean banks screw you two different ways and sideways with foreign currency accounts. You'll lose on the exchange rate over to U.S. dollars. Then, if you want to send your U.S. dollars somewhere through the bank, you have to (and I'm not making this up) exchange the money into Korean won, then back into US dollars to ship out.

If you're not going to keep too many dollars on hand, and can clear them out using traveler's checks or cash, then maybe not a bad idea.
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CA-NA-DA-ABC



Joined: 20 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PRagic wrote:
Korean banks screw you two different ways and sideways with foreign currency accounts. You'll lose on the exchange rate over to U.S. dollars. Then, if you want to send your U.S. dollars somewhere through the bank, you have to (and I'm not making this up) exchange the money into Korean won, then back into US dollars to ship out.

If you're not going to keep too many dollars on hand, and can clear them out using traveler's checks or cash, then maybe not a bad idea.



wow that's bull! I've never heard this before, and I just did a quick search on Naver and no mention of such a thing. Is this practice restricted to foreigners only or something?

what about foreign banks that have branches in Korea? do they commit such atrocities as well?
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call_the_shots



Joined: 10 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a USD time deposit at KB. The rates are comparable to CDs in the US. Last year it was 5.5%, but this year it's only about half that rate.
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CA-NA-DA-ABC



Joined: 20 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PRagic wrote:
Korean banks screw you two different ways and sideways with foreign currency accounts. You'll lose on the exchange rate over to U.S. dollars. Then, if you want to send your U.S. dollars somewhere through the bank, you have to (and I'm not making this up) exchange the money into Korean won, then back into US dollars to ship out.

If you're not going to keep too many dollars on hand, and can clear them out using traveler's checks or cash, then maybe not a bad idea.


just phoned a bank and asked about this. NOT TRUE.
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PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My bad. Note to self: Don't post too early!

This is true, however, if you are moving from one foreign currency to another (e.g. Yen to US Dollars). You can't directly exchange Yen to USD without making the intermediate Won stopover.

Again, sorry for the cofusion...
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