KB Kookmin Bank
South Korean commercial bank, the main banking subsidiary of KB Financial Group.
KB Kookmin Bank is one of four big Korean lenders whose rehired retirees last year numbered 1,013, a figure equal to 79.1% of the graduates they recruited, News1 reported on 3 November 2026, as AI absorbs routine work.
Last refreshed: 6 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is KB Kookmin Bank rehiring retirees instead of graduates?
Timeline for KB Kookmin Bank
Rehired retirees on fixed-term contracts
AI: Jobs, Power & Money: News1: Korea's big banks rehire retireesBackground
KB Kookmin Bank is the main banking subsidiary of KB Financial Group, based in Seoul. It took its present form in 2001, when Kookmin Bank merged with Housing & Commercial Bank. Its parent reported the largest first-quarter 2026 profit of Korea's four main financial groups, at ₩3.33tn.
Alongside Shinhan, Hana and Woori, KB Kookmin is counted among the four largest banks in a News1 report of 3 November 2026 on rehiring. Between them the four took back 1,013 former employees last year, roughly four returners for every five graduates hired, placing them in loan vetting and compliance roles on fixed terms capped at two years and at reduced salaries.
The report put the fall in entry-level bank hiring at about 30% over two years. In effect, for the largest of the four by profit, the model swaps the cost of training graduates for veteran judgement on cheaper fixed terms, while software takes the repetitive tasks.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 6 November 2026. Editorial standards.