GIAK Opens Jeonju Branch to Strengthen Consumer Protection in Jeonbuk Region

Lee Byung-rhae (6th from left), chairman of the GIAK poses for a photo at the opening ceremony of the GIAK’s Jeonju Branch, held at Kyobo Life Insurance Building in Jeonju of South Jeolla Province on Sept. 7. (Photo: GIAK)

The General Insurance Association of Korea (GIAK) established a new regional hub in Jeonju, expanding the number of regional hubs from five to six.

On Sept. 7, the GIAK announced the opening and commencement of operations for its Jeonju Branch located in Kyobo Life Insurance Building in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, South Jeolla Province.

The branch aims to protect the rights and interests of insurance consumers in the Jeonbuk region and expand the cooperative network among relevant organizations.

The opening ceremony was attended by officials from financial authorities, academia, and the insurance industry, including Lee Tae-ki, head of the Jeonbuk Office of the Financial Supervisory Service, Professor Yang Ki-jin of Jeonbuk National University and executives responsible for the Jeonbuk region from major non-life insurance companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, DB, and KB.

The GIAK had conducted its regional operations through five key hubs — the Central Regional Headquarters in Suwon, the Daejeon Branch, the Western Regional Headquarters in Gwangju, the Eastern Regional Headquarters in Busan and the Daegu Branch.

The opening of the Jeonju Branch now enables more independent and quick on-site financial responses within the Jeonbuk region.

The Jeonju Branch will focus on consumer protection tasks, such as helping local residents check their insurance details, providing in-person consultations, and offering guidance on the voluntary mediation of consumer complaints.

The branch will play a role in expanding touch points with consumers by responding more closely to local demand for insurance-related consultations.

Cooperation with local institutions will also be strengthened. In collaboration with local governments — such as the Jeonbuk Provincial and Jeonju City Governments —and relevant agencies like the police, the branch plans to implement safety initiatives aimed at preventing insurance frauds and improving Korea’s traffic culture.

“The opening of the Jeonju Branch reflects the GIAK’s commitment to providing rapid, on-site financial services to residents of the Jeonbuk region,” said Lee Byung-rhae, chairman.

“We will do our utmost to ensure the Jeonju Branch serves as a reliable guardian of rights for insurance consumers in the area and establishes itself as a key hub for mutual growth with local communities through seamless communications with local governments, relevant agencies, and the Korean general insurance industry.”

Opening of Integrated Complaint Support Center

The company announced that it held a ceremony in honor of the opening of its Integrated Complaint Support Center on Sept. 2, aiming to enhance expertise and efficiency in handling insurance-related complaints.

Attendees at the opening ceremony included GIAK chairman, all association executives, and labor union representatives.

They celebrated the launch of the Integrated Complaint Support Center and reaffirmed their commitment to establishing a professional system for handling complaints to protect consumers.

In addition, permanent exam centers for insurance agents have been expanded to enhance convenience for test takers and operational efficiency while creating a more pleasant testing environment.

The Integrated Civil Complaint Support Center was established to handle insurance-related complaints transferred from the Financial Supervisory Service as well as those submitted directly to the GIAK via channels such as Kookmin Sinmungo - the Korean government’s national online grievance portal.

The Integrated Civil Complaint Support Center also provides convenient, one-stop access to related services by handling tasks such as insurance policy inquiries and the direct cancellation of insurance agent registrations.

Through the operation of this center, the GIAK will enhance professional expertise and operational coordination across tasks, while resolving user grievances more promptly.

Furthermore, the GIAK intends to systematically analyze various cases identified during a process to proactively uncover consumer pain points and utilize these insights to improve future complaint resolution and consumer protection efforts.

Between July 6 and Aug. 26, the GIAK received 211 complaints transferred from the FSS. Of these, 130 cases (61.6%) have been resolved, while 81 cases (38.4%) remain in progress.

The average processing time for resolved complaints from the FSS was approximately 11.6 days.