Daily NK obtained photographs of notices about the “183 hotline” posted at bank branches in Pyongyang in early September. North Korean authorities sent the notice via text to mobile phone users on Sept. 1 and then posted physical copies at bank branches.
The notice, titled “Services Available by Calling 183,” states that users “can access an automated voice service for electronic cards, electronic wallets, and deposits.”
The notice instructs callers to press 1 for information about electronic cards (essentially debit cards), 2 for information about “electronic wallets” (an electronic payment application), and 3 for information about depositing money. The same hotline provides real-time information about card usage methods, card status, recent transactions and card balance.
Users are also told that if they “cannot resolve the issue through the automated voice service, they can press 0 to connect to a customer service representative.” By setting 0 as the operator number, North Korea appears to be following the method used by customer service hotlines in South Korea and other countries.
Human operators are available between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The notice requires users to “accurately input their 17-digit card number and their 15-number account number when requested in order to check their balance or transactions.”
After pressing 1 for electronic card inquiries, users see the following automated menu options: “Press 1 if you have lost your card. Press 2 if you have made a remittance in error. Press 3 if your card has been locked. Press 4 if you have forgotten your PIN. Press 5 if you wish to change the card owner. Press 6 if payments are not going through on your card. Press 7 if card readers are not reading your card. Press 8 to check your card transactions.”
The call center can also provide information about regular bank accounts.
A section titled “Savings Options” at the bottom of the notice encourages readers to call 183 to learn more about opening bank accounts and savings products.
Users who press 3 to inquire about depositing money have two more options. They can press 1 to hear about ordinary savings accounts at North Korean banks or press 2 to check their personal account balance.
The 183 hotline also provides information about a lottery savings program operated by North Korean banks to increase bank deposits and make better use of extra funds.
Modernizing customer service
North Koreans appear intrigued by the automated call menu, which has been introduced for the first time in the country.
Until recently, North Koreans had to take their physical card to the bank if they wanted to check the balance on a card-linked account or address a system error preventing them from making payments.
Account transactions could be checked on an electronic payment app, but installing that kind of mobile app was challenging for those unfamiliar with technology.
The reason for adopting the automated call menus was to streamline the card, app, and account inquiries that had been overwhelming staff at bank branches as more North Koreans began using cards and payment apps.
For several years now, North Korea has been requiring organizations and enterprises to deposit employees’ wages into card-linked accounts instead of paying them in cash as part of an ongoing effort to promote electronic payments. This has had the intended result, with virtually every North Korean adult now possessing an electronic card.
