Outside directors at South Korea's four major financial holding companies are taking a more assertive role in internal control oversight, using board committees to identify management vulnerabilities and press for corrective action as the accountability structure chart broadens boards' responsibilities beyond setting principles. Financial industry sources said on the 13th that Shinhan Financial Group held seven internal control committee meetings last year, the most among the four, followed by Woori Financial Group with six, KB Financial Group with four and Hana Financial Group with two, while KB processed the most agenda items with 15. Woori is seen as running the most substantive committee, with direct board oversight of the ethics management chief and separate disclosure of each outside director's key remarks. Its directors have pushed management on corporate culture, delinquency monitoring, movable-asset collateral lending, overseas branch oversight and long-term culture diagnostics, and Woori now conducts regular company-wide culture surveys. Analysts say the new governance framework has widened boards' monitoring role, though some industry participants argue that annual reappointment pressure still constrains outside-director independence and have called for measures such as a guaranteed single three-year term.