Former HR Manager in 'KB Kookmin Bank Recruitment Corruption' Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison in Second Trial

Appellate Court Overturns Suspended Sentence Verdict... Court Imprisonment Ordered

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A former HR manager at KB Kookmin Bank, who was prosecuted for manipulating applicants' scores during the recruitment process for new employees, was sentenced to prison in the second trial.

The Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Song Young-hwan) overturned the original sentence of one year in prison with a two-year probation and sentenced the former KB Kookmin Bank HR team leader Oh Mo to one year in prison on the 13th for charges including obstruction of business.

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "The defendant was the chief examiner for recruitment, but his authority was limited within the internal regulations and decision-making process of KB Kookmin Bank. He must not exceed the scope of his designated authority or infringe upon the authority of other personnel."

It continued, "The defendant influenced recruitment by arbitrarily raising the scores of certain applicants after knowing their personal information, thereby obstructing the work of employees. There is also no evidence that other examiners agreed to the defendant’s changes to evaluation results."

Oh was charged with raising the document screening scores of 113 male applicants and lowering the scores of 112 female applicants during the first half of 2015’s new bank employee recruitment process, with the intent to increase the ratio of male successful candidates.

During the second interview stage, he was also accused of manipulating the interview scores of 28 candidates, including 20 who were subjects of special favors, and improperly passing 20 of them.

The first trial court found Oh guilty of 'fraudulent recruitment' but sentenced him to one year in prison with a two-year probation, stating, "There is no evidence that he gained economic benefits, and the crime occurred as a result of following wrongful practices."

Oh appealed, citing factual and legal misunderstandings, but the second trial court sentenced him to prison and ordered his detention in court, stating, "Despite the seriousness of the crime, he has not shown remorse." Former bank officials prosecuted alongside Oh were again given probation, as in the first trial.

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