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Korean Automated Teller Machines
It's payday and you want to retrieve some of that cash you've earned but you don't know how to use the machine because the directions are all in Korean. Well, if the problem with money retrieval is due to language, seems like the best thing to do would be to find a machine with English directions.

One of the biggest things you need to be careful of when using an ATM is to not withdraw too much money. This usually happens by accident due to an inability to read Korean. According to most Korean ATMs, you will be asked to enter the amount of money you want times x10, 000 won. This is something I learned the hard way. I saw a prompt asking how much money desired and entered 70 thinking I would get 70,000 won. Instead, the machine purred along much longer than expected and I was given 700,000 won.

Korean machines are notorious for being locked late at night and sometimes all weekend. I've even been told a tale of someone just finishing withdrawing money at spot on 10 pm when alarms rang, she ran out, and the doors locked down for the night.

You also want to be wary of long holidays or the weekends. If it's a particularly long or busy weekend, make sure to get enough money beforehand. The same holds true for major holidays. Chusok is a killer for money needs. It's the closest you'll find to almost an entire country shutting down. Make sure to get your money a few days before the holiday.

  Basic rules
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  1. Always have plenty of cash available so you don't get caught short.
  2. Learn exactly what buttons to press in sequence on the machine and be prepared for the machine around the corner to look the same, but it most likely won't have a key pad like the last machine. I have had many a stuck card because I could not get my card out of the process it was in.
  3. Understand the banks have an incredible variety of machines to do everything from writing a cheque to updating your bankbook balance.
  4. Get to any machines early!
  5. Try using the visa card machines at the subway stations etc. as they will be able to give you instructions in English for your visa card, but maybe not for you genuine Korean bank card.
  6. Don't try getting money out at busy times of the day, or you will hold up many people and you will feel rather conspicuous.

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