Due to KB Kookmin Bank app failure, ATM call center consultations were also halted

"Separate Operation ATM and Internet Banking Consultations to be Integrated in the First Half of This Year"

It was revealed on the 24th that the KB Kookmin Bank application (app) ‘KB Star Banking’ error had paralyzed call consultations for customers using automated teller machines (ATMs).

According to data submitted by Kookmin Bank to Cho Seung-rae, a member of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, 187 inquiries from ATM customers were made to the call center within 30 minutes from 10:30 to 11:00 immediately after the KB Star Banking app access failure occurred on the 4th of last month, but not a single call was connected.

During the one hour from 10:15 to 11:15, when calls were heavily concentrated at the call center, ATM users made 417 consultation calls to the call center, but only 66 were connected, and 351 calls (84%) were abandoned. The total number of calls received by the call center during the same period was 11,866, which was double the average daily call volume of 5,850 in September.

Jo Seung-rae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker

Cho explained that this was interpreted as the call center being overwhelmed with inquiries due to the KB Star Banking app failure, causing even consultation calls from ATMs to become unresponsive. Kookmin Bank has installed customer intercoms on ATMs so that customers can inquire about any issues that occur while using the machines. It is known that Kookmin Bank integrated the ATM consultation and internet banking consultation services, which were previously operated separately, in the first half of this year.

The KB Star Banking app failure occurred on the morning of the 4th of last month at 10:16 AM, lasted for 3 hours and 35 minutes, and was restored at 1:51 PM. At that time, Kookmin Bank even issued an apology to customers, but the app failure occurred again for 34 minutes around 11:00 AM on the 11th, one month later.

Assemblyman Cho Seung-rae said, “When a failure occurs in the bank app, customers have no choice but to call the call center first to understand the situation,” adding, “The bank makes the mistake, the customers suffer the damage, and the call center counselors take the blame?this is an unreasonable structure.” He emphasized, “To improve the current situation where the bank takes no responsibility, call consultation services must be incorporated into the bank’s internal control framework.”

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