Bank Mobile Branches Available Until the 11th... "Prepare in Advance" (Comprehensive)

Most Suspended to Prevent COVID Spread
NongHyup Bank Operates Partially Until the 11th

Efforts to Minimize Customer Inconvenience through Flexible Branches and Emergency Duty

[Asia Economy Reporter Seong Giho] This Lunar New Year holiday, it has become difficult to find mobile branches of commercial banks. This is because the mobile branches, which were installed at highway rest areas every year during the holidays for customer convenience, will not operate to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Banks have stated that they will minimize customer inconvenience through flexible branches and emergency duty.

According to the banking sector on the 10th, KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Banks will not operate mobile branches during this Lunar New Year holiday period.

Bank mobile branches are mobile stores targeting customers who use ATMs to exchange new bills or secure travel expenses. They have mainly been installed at rest areas and operated by installing ATMs inside modified buses, raising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the confined space.

Among the five major commercial banks, NH Nonghyup Bank is the only one operating mobile branches. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, Nonghyup Bank will operate mobile branches from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 10th and 11th at Hanam Dream Rest Area on the Jungbu Expressway and the Nonghyup Seongnam Distribution Center to provide financial convenience to customers using highways and agricultural and livestock product sales centers. In accordance with the COVID-19 situation, they have enabled contactless (untact) New Year's money withdrawal through ATMs equipped with a dedicated mobile branch program, and provide various financial services such as cash deposits and withdrawals and account transfers for the convenience of returning travelers.

Nonghyup Bank will also provide a Safe Service from the 9th to the 16th. The Safe Service is a service that stores customers' valuables in idle rental safes or office safes, which can be used free of charge during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

Banks plan to prevent customer inconvenience in advance through various methods. Woori Bank will operate flexible branches instead of mobile branches. Fourteen currency exchange booths within the Airport Financial Center are targeted, and currency exchange will be available from the 11th to the 14th. Four Foreigners’ Financial Centers, which are frequently visited by foreigners, will also operate for one day on the 14th. The centers are located in Ansan, Gimhae, Uijeongbu, and Gimpo. Woori Bank has completed pre-inspections in preparation for the transaction concentration days before the Lunar New Year holiday, and about 300 IT personnel will be on emergency duty for monitoring and immediate response in case of emergencies.

The other banks will strengthen management by conducting pre-inspections of major systems, frequent system checks during the holiday period, and preparing for cash shortages and malfunctions of ATMs. Shinhan Bank operates a situation room to carry out system capacity pre-inspections and strengthen monitoring. From now until the 15th, 14 to 16 people will work in shifts by business area daily. Kookmin Bank will also have about 90 people on emergency duty, including 40 at the head office and 50 in IT, to respond to unexpected situations.

Hana Bank has been implementing an emergency plan early to ensure a stable system during the Lunar New Year holiday. Hana Bank plans to monitor with more than seven emergency standby personnel rotating shifts and temporarily expand the system to prepare for concentrated transaction volumes until the 15th. About 160 specialized personnel will be on standby through an emergency contact network to consider the occurrence of urgent situations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.