By Kang Shin-who
Korea’s human rights agency has asked religious schools here not to discriminate against non-believers or those with different faiths in recruiting employees.
The National Human Rights Commission demanded Friday that local universities run by religious foundations not to prohibit those who believe in different faiths from applying for job positions at the schools.
A man, identified only by his family name Lee, filed a petition with the human rights watchdog, after he was refused an administrative position at two universities; Dongguk University and Seoul Women’s University. The two universities require applicants to submit documents proving they follow the religions affiliated with the schools.
Buddhist Dongguk demands job seekers present a Buddhist certificate sealed by a monk from a temple associated with the Jogye Order, while the evangelical women-only school asks for a certificate of church attendance.
During the investigation by the human rights agency, the two universities claimed their schools were established to fulfill religious missions, so there were no problems with establishing pre-conditions for job applicants.
The universities also explained that it would be hard for non-believers to adjust.
However, the agency said the two universities should not infringe upon equal employment rights of applicants who do not have a certain religion.
“These universities differ from state universities as they were established based on founders’ religious missions, but they also function as schools that provide a public service,” it said in a recommendation.
“Employees in administrative affairs perform duties related to school management and operation, rather than spreading their religion. So, whether employees have religious affiliations or not shouldn’t be a required condition to carry out their jobs.”
In response, religious groups opposed the agency’s recommendations. Kim Yang-won, a committee member of the Christian Council of Korea, and Han Tae-sik of the Buddhist group said restrictions in recruitment were legitimate, according to the schools’ ideology. “We need to find a harmonized way, when equal job opportunities conflict with freedom of religion.
