Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Ban on intrusive job interview questions comes into force
Questions such as "what does your father do?" are no longer allowed during job interviews. Gettyimagesbank
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
A new law banning companies from asking jobseekers for unnecessary personal information came into force Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the law bans companies from requiring job applicants to submit sensitive information, such as their regions of birth and other family members' profiles, and asking such questions during job interviews.
Other information that should not be asked includes their wealth, marital status and physical condition such as weight, height and whether they have a “decent appearance.” However, if such information is essential to evaluate applicants' suitability for positions such as modeling, employers can demand it.
A company that violates the law can be fined 3 million won ($2,600) for a first offense, 4 million won for a second violation and 5 million for a third.
Korean companies have long been notorious for intrusive and discriminatory hiring practices that require job applicants to submit all sorts of personal information. In an effort to change this, the National Assembly passed a bill in March to ban such practices.