[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Credit card woes

Last week I called into a branch of Kookmin Bank to renew my BC Visa Card for the second time. Based on the advice given to me by the bank staff a week earlier, I expected this to be a simple routine exercise.
Instead, I was told that, from the beginning of September, BC Card has been merged with Kookmin Card, and one new set of rules is now to be applied to all foreigners. Never mind that I have an excellent credit history from holding a BC Card for two years, or that I am a loyal customer who does all his banking with Kookmin Bank. It is also irrelevant that I have no debts, an above-average income and have lived in this country for nearly six years.
Because I am non-Korean, I must now find a Korean guarantor or else set aside a special fund in the bank to cover my credit limit. Maybe, there is an exception if I decide to take a huge drop in salary and work for the government. But if anyone chooses to work in the private sector, bad luck - no card renewal!

by R.A. Campbell