On the First Day of Normalized Bank Business Hours, Citizens Say "Welcome"

Banking Hours Normalized to '9 AM to 4 PM'

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] As COVID-19 quarantine measures have been lifted, bank operating hours have also returned to normal. Citizens welcomed the extended bank hours, allowing them to conduct their banking business faster and for longer periods.

Around 9 a.m. on the 30th, when the operating hours of financial sector branches returned to normal, customers waiting in front of the KB Kookmin Bank Mapo Branch entered the bank as soon as the iron gate opened.
Photo by Tae-won Choi skking@

According to the financial sector on the 30th, operating hours have been normalized to "9:00 AM to 4:00 PM" starting today. When the COVID-19 outbreak spread, the financial sector shortened branch operating hours by one hour from July 2021, operating from "9:30 AM to 3:30 PM." With the indoor mask mandate also lifted from today, it is interpreted that bank operating hours have returned to normal.

Citizens welcomed the banks' decision. Around 8:50 AM that day, four customers were already waiting in front of the KB Kookmin Bank Mapo branch, bundled up in thick clothes, before the branch even opened. When the iron gate opened promptly at 9:00 AM, they rushed inside to take their queue numbers. Even close to 4:00 PM, people visited the bank to conduct their business.

Mr. Ko (67), who runs a private business, said, "I have a lot of work in the morning and need to visit the bank frequently due to the nature of my work, but I was always delayed waiting for the bank to open. Today, I finished my banking right at opening time and think I can make my meeting on time."

At around 3:40 PM on the 30th, KEB Hana Bank Hongdae Entrance Station Branch. It would have been closed during the shortened business hours period, but the entrance is open.
Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

Some expressed concerns as the normalization coincided with the lifting of the indoor mask mandate. Mr. Han (57), who was leaving the bank around 3:50 PM after finishing his business, said, "It's convenient, but it's true that quarantine measures have weakened. COVID-19 is not completely over yet, so if masks are not worn and operating hours are extended, it will naturally have a negative impact on quarantine."

Meanwhile, the Financial Workers' Union opposed the normalization of bank operating hours, saying it "broke the labor-management agreement." In a statement released on the 25th, the Financial Workers' Union said, "The financial employers announced through official letters sent to each member company that bank operating hours would be restored to 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM starting today, which is a direct violation of the financial sector's collective labor-management agreement." They also stated they plan to file a complaint with the police for obstruction of work due to the breach of agreement.