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Private company

Woori Bank

Logo: Original: Woori Bank Vector: Nahian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

South Korean bank

Woori Bank (Korean: 우리은행, romanized: Uri Eunhaeng, lit. 'Our Bank') is a Korean multinational bank headquartered in Seoul. It is one of the four largest domestic banks in South Korea and has a strong presence in commercial banking and corporate finance in South Korea. Tracing its roots to the Daehan Cheon-il Bank, founded in 1899, it went through multiple transformations until adopting its current name in 2002.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1899Founded1
  • Industryfinancial services1
  • HeadquartersJung District1
  • Websitewww.wooribank.com
  • Legal formjusik hoesa1
  • LEI549300VUVMRL6RE7R3763
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered address서울특별시 중구 소공로 51 (회현동1가), 04632 Seoul, South Korea3
  • Registered withSupreme Court Registry, 110111-00233933

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Woori-Bank-headquarter
Photo: Magneta6006, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons6

Woori Bank (Korean: 우리은행, romanized: Uri Eunhaeng, lit. 'Our Bank') is a Korean multinational bank headquartered in Seoul. It is one of the four largest domestic banks in South Korea and has a strong presence in commercial banking and corporate finance in South Korea. Tracing its roots to the Daehan Cheon-il Bank, founded in 1899, it went through multiple transformations until adopting its current name in 2002. By then, it was South Korea's second-largest bank, behind Kookmin Bank.2

Corporate structure

Woori Bank sits at the top of its group. 5 entities, 4 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Woori Bank Seoul, South Korea
    • Woori Global Markets Asia Limited Subsidiary · 100% · Hongkong, Hong Kong
    • Акционерное общество "Ури Банк" Subsidiary · 100% · Москва, Russia
    • Woori America Bank Subsidiary
    • you li yin hang zhong guo you xian gong si (友利银行（中国）有限公司) Subsidiary · 北京市, China
    • Gwangtonggwan Owned · Seoul, South Korea

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Woori Bank reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

  • Gwangtonggwan

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

The story

Woori Bank traces its origins to the establishment of Daehan Cheon-il Bank in 1899, subsequently renamed Joseon Commercial Bank in 1911 and Korea Commercial Bank in 1950. Woori Bank's Jongno branch is located in the Gwangtonggwan building, which is considered the oldest continuously operating bank building in Korea. On March 5, 2001, the branch was registered as a Seoul City Historic Landmark.

Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Korea Commercial Bank merged with Hanil Bank to become Hanvit Bank, simultaneously with a public capital injection that made the Korean government the dominant shareholder, then in 2001 with Peace Bank, and adopted the name Woori Bank in 2002. In 2014, after some amalgamation proceedings related to its parent company, Woori Bank absorbed Woori Financial Group.

The privatization process was a protracted effort. The Korean government reduced its equity holding in Woori Bank in stages, selling a 29.7 percent block in November 2016, another 9.3 percent in November 2021, and its residual holding in March 2024.

From Wikipedia’s article on Woori Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Products and brands

  • financial services

Listed on Wikidata.1

Branches

The following lists all major offices and branches. All data are as of the end of January 2018 for Overseas and June 2020 for South Korea.

Domestic

Number of branches and offices: 862

Overseas

United States as Woori America Bank (multiple locations)

Through its subsidiary, Woori America Bank, the bank provides a specialized "Pre-Opening Account Service." This service allows South Korean nationals, including international students (F-1) and expatriates (L-1/E-2), to establish a U.S. bank account and transfer funds before relocating to the United States.

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London, United Kingdom

Singapore

Tokyo, Japan

Hanoi, Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Bahrain, Bahrain

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Chennai, India

Manila, Philippines as Wealthbank (Woori Bank Subsidiary) A Development Bank

Dubai, UAE

Sydney, Australia

Jakarta, Indonesia as Woori Saudara Bank

Moscow, Russia; Saint Petersburg, Russia as Woori Bank Russia

Beijing, China as Woori Bank of China Limited

Hong Kong, China, as Woori Investment Bank

São Paulo, Brazil as Brazil Woori Bank

Yangon, Myanmar as Woori Finance Myanmar

Phnom Penh, Cambodia as Woori Finance Cambodia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Office)

Teheran, Iran (Office)

Kaesong Industrial Complex, North Korea (former)

In 2004, Woori Bank opened its Gaeseong Industrial Complex branch, in Gaeseong, North Korea, the first foreign bank to do so in North Korea. Woori Bank has operations in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. On 14 March 2012, its Indonesian subsidiary, Bank Woori Indonesia, announced a plan to merge with a local bank, Bank Saudara. In April 2012, Woori Bank opened its first branch in India at Chennai.

In August 2025, Woori Bank opened a branch in Austin, Texas, United States, becoming the first Korean bank to establish a foothold in the city. This marked Woori’s third branch in the southern United States, following Dallas, Texas and Duluth, Georgia.

Clientele

Woori Bank has major clientele from all over South Korea, including but not limited to: Samsung Electronics, CJ Group, Hanwha, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Yonsei University, and Korean University of Foreign Studies (HUFS).

From Wikipedia’s article on Woori Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

  • Woori America Bank

Also owns

  • Gwangtonggwan

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1899Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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