List of Banks in Korea
September 12, 2007
Need a bank account in Korea? It’s not easy if you are a foreigner- especially, because a bunch of foreign teachers got busted for drug possession. Instead of going on that tangent here is a list of banks in Korea with a basic rating of their friendliness.
Many of these require internet explorer only.
| Bank Name |
Comment | Foreigner Friendliness Rating (0-5, 5 being best) |
| Bank of Korea | Click on “English” They don’t really deal with private customers | ? - Never had an encounter |
| Korea Eximbank | I think this is a bank for exporters and importers explicitly | ? - Never had an encounter |
| Hana Bank | Only supports Korean Speakers | 0 - complete site is in Korean |
| Kookmin Bank (KB) | Their Itaewon branch is a very good place to get help | 3 |
| Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) | These guys make an effort to reach our to the ex-patriots | 4 |
| Kyongnam Bank | I’m guessing by the looks of it is part of the Woori Financial Group | 1 |
| Shinhan Bank | Decent bank, but they don’t have many interface for English doesn’t work very well | 3 |
| Pusan Bank | Another one of those sites that just explain what their bank is about. | 1 |
| American Express | American Express has great customer service but American Express in Korea, isn’t easy to deal with. | 2 |
| International Bank Korea (IBK) | Another bank I’m not familiar with, but looks like they have some English speaking interfaces | 3 |
| Woori Bank | Another Bank you’ll see in Korea | 3 |
| Daegu Bank | Another local city bank | 1 |
| Standard Chartered Bank (SC) | They recently merged/bought with “Jaeil” Bank | 3 |
| Nong Hyup Bank (NH) | I believe this was originally the blue collar workers’ bank | 3 |
| Cho Hung Bank (CHB) | Was bought/merged with Shinhan | N/A |
| Korea Development Bank | Another one of those government institution type banks | 1 |
| Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) | They make quite the effort to serve English speakers everywhere | 4 |
Korean American Banks -
Nara Bank specifically for those in the US
Banks in North Korea:
They don’t have English friendly websites… or websites that I know of for that matter.
Daesong Bank
Koryo Bank
I’m sure I’ve missed a bank here and there, but here are the banking options that I know of. Feel free to add your own suggestions and ratings in the comments.
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