"Shinhan Bank Recruitment Scandal" Chairman Cho Yong-byeong: "It's Not Obstruction of Business"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Cho Yong-byeong, Chairman of Shinhan Financial Group (63), who is on trial for manipulating scores and interfering in the recruitment process of new employees at Shinhan Bank, has requested the appellate court to reconsider the establishment of the charge of obstruction of business.

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Oh Seok-jun) held the first trial on the 8th for Chairman Cho, who was indicted on charges including obstruction of business.

At the trial, Chairman Cho’s lawyer pointed out, "The victims mentioned in the indictment are listed as interviewers, but they are not specifically identified, which could lead to a serious error in judging the obstruction of business charge," adding, "A representative example is applicant Lee, who was absent from the interview, but it was mistakenly believed that the first-round interviewers attended, which ultimately led to a guilty verdict."

The lawyer also mentioned that some co-defendants who are on trial with Chairman Cho participated as interviewers during the recruitment, arguing, "According to the indictment, this results in the defendants also being considered victims."

The court accepted this argument from the defense and stated, "The prosecution should specify the parts in which the defendants were involved and the parts that can be excluded from the obstruction of business by deception."

Earlier, Chairman Cho and seven Shinhan Bank HR officials were indicted in October 2018 on charges of providing preferential treatment during the recruitment process by managing lists of external recommendation applicants and children of Shinhan Bank executives and department heads from the first half of 2013 to the second half of 2016.

The first trial found Chairman Cho guilty of obstructing recruitment work by informing the HR department of specific applicants’ applications and personal relationships while serving as the president of Shinhan Bank, sentencing him to six months in prison with a two-year probation.

Chairman Cho appealed against this first trial verdict.

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