Total funding expanded to 800 million won

[Provided by KB Kookmin Bank]
[Provided by KB Kookmin Bank]

KB Kookmin Bank said it will contribute an additional 300 million won ($194,000) to expand its "Maum Dolbom" mental health counseling service for financially vulnerable customers, which it operates jointly with the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service.

The contribution brings the total funding KB Kookmin Bank has committed to the program to 800 million won. The additional resources will go toward providing professional psychological counseling to customers struggling with debt.

KB Kookmin Bank operates a network of KB Hope Finance Centers to help financially vulnerable individuals achieve economic independence. The centers serve as the bank's flagship inclusive finance support channel, offering comprehensive guidance on debt restructuring options — including the bank's own programs as well as those run by the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service, the Fresh Start Fund, and personal rehabilitation and bankruptcy regimes — alongside policy financial products.

The network first opened in Seoul and Incheon in December last year, then expanded to Daejeon, Daegu and other cities, and now operates six centers nationwide. The centers offer both in-person and remote consultations to help financially vulnerable customers resolve economic difficulties, providing integrated services that combine credit counseling, debt restructuring and psychological support.

The Maum Dolbom counseling service provides professional psychological counseling to customers using the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service's debt restructuring programs. Working with the Korea Employee Assistance Professionals Association, the program draws on a network of 943 psychological counseling centers across the country. From December last year through May this year, a total of 4,738 counseling sessions were conducted. The service aims to ease the emotional burden — including depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness — that debt problems can cause, and to help customers maintain stable lives. The program drew strong demand after the KB Hope Finance Centers launched in December last year, with roughly 2,400 sessions completed within three months and nearly half of the initial 500 million won in donations used up.

"We hope this additional contribution will allow more customers to access psychological counseling and ease the emotional burden that comes with debt problems," a KB Kookmin Bank official said. "We will continue to expand our inclusive finance support to help financially vulnerable individuals achieve independence and economic stability."


won@heraldcorp.com