In Response to Job Seekers' Backlash Over "No Notice"... Seobu Power to Remove 'Language Qualification' from Recruitment Criteria

Seobu Power Adds Language Qualifications to Second Half Hiring Not Present in First Half

A view of the headquarters of Korea Western Power in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do. (Photo by Korea Western Power)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government confirmed that the hiring requirements for new employees at Korea Western Power in the second half of the year were inappropriately changed and has prepared improvement measures. Western Power has decided not to include language proficiency qualifications in the second half recruitment requirements.

On the 5th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced that it, along with related ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, has devised a solution regarding Korea Western Power's inappropriate changes to the new employee hiring requirements for the second half of the year.

Until the first half recruitment this year, Western Power did not set any separate qualification requirements, but in the second half recruitment announcement, it added language proficiency qualifications (limited to TOEIC and NEW TEPS) as hiring requirements without prior notice.

As a result, job seekers expressed frustration, saying, "We have been preparing for employment based on the existing recruitment announcement, but Korea Western Power suddenly changed the qualification requirements, making it impossible even to apply."

According to the ACRC's verification, although related regulations require the prior disclosure of recruitment details such as examination methods to enhance predictability in personnel operations, prior notice of the change in hiring requirements was insufficient.

The ACRC and related ministries judged that applying the newly added qualification requirements without sufficient prior notice could deprive job seekers, who were unable to anticipate the changes, of their eligibility to apply.

The ACRC instructed Korea Western Power to take measures to ensure fairness in recruitment, such as changing and re-announcing the recruitment notice in accordance with the purpose of fair hiring before the application period ends.

Currently, Western Power is following procedures to change the hiring requirements to be the same as those in the first half of the year, accepting the opinions of the ACRC and related ministries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.