“No female university graduates” hiring myth sparks investigation by ministry of employment, November 26 2024

…A growing online rumour claiming that women’s university graduates will no longer be hired has prompted an official investigation by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

…The controversy escalated after Lee Woo-young, the director of the Korea Industrial Human Resources Corporation (under the very Ministry), posted a message on Facebook on the 16th, stating that he wished to exclude graduates from Dongduk Women’s University [where a student protest is ongoing] from hiring consideration. His post, which included the remark, "Even in blind recruitment, I would like to filter out graduates from this women’s university," was met with backlash. Lee later deleted the post and apologised, explaining that his words had been poorly expressed due to his 'concern for the situation'…

…The rumour that "graduates from women’s universities are excluded from recruitment" spread widely across online communities, prompting several reports to the ministry. In response, the ministry announced on the 25th that it had launched a fact-finding investigation. (…) Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, employers found guilty of gender discrimination in hiring could face fines of up to 5 million won.

…The ministry also addressed online comments claiming that 'complaints are pointless,' stating, 'This is not true.' (…) They emphasised that if any gender discrimination is found in the recruitment process, they will take appropriate action, regardless of such claims.