Shinhan Financial Unions Protest 3.6M App Signup Target Pressure

Shinhan Financial Group's labor union coalition issued a joint statement criticizing the company's aggressive signup targets for its newly launched Super SOL integrated app. The union coalition, comprising unions from Shinhan's banking, card, securities, and insurance subsidiaries, stated that the 3.6 million new signup target is forcing the company's 30,000 employees into excessive app promotion activities. The statement, released on the previous day, marks the first time these unions have jointly protested a single issue despite belonging to different umbrella organizations. The criticism centers on alleged pressure tactics including rumors that employees who fail to meet Super SOL signup quotas will be denied promotions this year. Super SOL was launched last month as Shinhan Financial's first major app redesign since 2023, designed to consolidate all group financial services into a single platform.

Union Coalition Criticizes 3.6 Million Signup Target

The Shinhan Financial Group Labor Union Council stated in its joint statement: "By setting an enormous new signup target of 3.6 million accounts, the company is driving all workers under the holding company into 'app peddlers.'" The union added: "Rumors are spreading that promotions will be impossible this year if Super SOL targets are not met, causing 30,000 Shinhan employees to stake their lives on app peddling every day."

The union coalition questioned whether 3.6 million potential new users actually exist, stating: "Employees are recruiting people willing to install the app for payment through secondhand sites like Danggeun Market and Joonggonara, using their own money."

Employees Recruit Users Through Secondhand Marketplaces

The union coalition stated: "Employees are being driven into a situation where they must waste work hours on external recruitment, neglecting financial consumers who come for their actual business at each subsidiary." The statement continued: "The current madness of degrading employees into excessive app peddlers is absolutely not normal."

The union raised concerns about the campaign's effectiveness: "Achievement of targets is impossible due to excessive goals, and even those results are solicited performance that won't help operating profit. From whose head did this worst sales method come, and by whose decision was it implemented?"

According to a banking industry source: "After the app launch, customers who have registered even once are not counted as new signups even if they reinstall, creating significant pressure. Many Shinhan employees are struggling to fill 50 signup targets."

Super SOL Launched Last Month as Integrated Platform

Shinhan Financial launched Super SOL last month as an integrated financial platform designed to process all financial functions across the group's banking, securities, card, and insurance subsidiaries within a single app. The launch represented the company's first major app overhaul since 2023, aimed at maximizing customer lock-in effects.

Union Demands Immediate Campaign Halt

The union coalition demanded: "This self-destructive march of digging one's own grave, which helps neither company performance, results, nor customer satisfaction, must stop." The statement continued: "We all share the experience of causing financial accidents by focusing on worthless external performance while missing important aspects. Listen carefully to the union's warning and immediately stop this mindless, manic sales campaign."

The union emphasized that the campaign provides no benefit to company performance, results, or customer satisfaction.

FAQ

What did Shinhan Financial's labor unions criticize on May 28? The Shinhan Financial Group Labor Union Council issued a joint statement criticizing the company's 3.6 million new signup target for the Super SOL app, stating it is forcing 30,000 employees into excessive app promotion activities. The unions claimed employees are recruiting users through secondhand marketplaces using their own money and that rumors suggest promotions will be blocked for those who fail to meet targets.

When did Shinhan Financial launch the Super SOL app? Shinhan Financial launched Super SOL last month as an integrated financial platform consolidating all group financial services into a single app. This represented the company's first major app redesign since 2023.

Why did the union coalition issue a joint statement? The union coalition stated that the 3.6 million signup target is creating excessive pressure on employees, forcing them to neglect actual customer service while recruiting new app users through external channels. The unions demanded an immediate halt to what they described as a campaign that provides no benefit to company performance or customer satisfaction.