KT seeks to become more foreigner-friendly

A staff member at a KT global store provides information to foreign customers about the telecom firm's latest services, which lets international customers receive discounts in their mobile phone plans by teaming up with friends of the same nationality. / Courtesy of KT

By Kim Bo-eun

KT said Wednesday it launched a service that lets foreign customers receive phone plan discounts when teaming up with friends. The telecom firm is also expanding its foreign-language services for customers.

Under the mobile plan service, foreign customers are able to receive discounts when five people of the same nationality team up. KT said it launched the service taking into account that foreigners are less able to benefit from family-based discounts.

According to KT, about 70 percent of Korean customers are receiving discounts under the program, while the figure is less than 10 percent for foreign customers, given many foreign residents here are students or workers who are here without family members.

The new program enables a foreign customer to get discounts of up to 11,000 won a month for two years, according to the plan they sign up for.

Foreign customers can sign up for the program from today until Sept. 30. KT only requires an ID showing the individual's nationality. KT is issuing a free wire transfer coupon worth 20,000 won to foreigners signing up for the program in April.

KT is also sending out notices via text messages in Korean and foreign languages. Customers can sign up for their language of choice by visiting a KT store or dialing the customer center for foreigners at 080-448-0100.

The customer center assists foreign customers in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese. Starting in May, the foreign customer center will also provide services in Russian. Customers will be able to get real-time services in English. For other languages, when the customer leaves inquiries they will be called back to be provided information in their language.

In addition, KT plans to expand the number of stores with foreign and Korean staff able to offer services in foreign languages. KT is operating 157 such stores as of this month. The stores also have guidebooks with information in various languages. Customers are able to check the locations of these stores at globalshop.kt.com.

KT has also upgraded the website, to provide specialized information for foreigners. The website can be viewed in English, Chinese and Vietnamese.

"KT will continue to make efforts so that foreign customers can feel like they are using the telecom services of their home country," KT's senior vice president and head of Customer Strategy Business Unit Park Hyun-jin was cited as saying in a press release.