Prosecution Seeks Prison Sentence for Han Young-joo, Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group, in 'Hiring Corruption' Case

Ham Young-joo, Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for Ham Young-joo (66), Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group (former CEO of Hana Bank), on charges of exerting influence over the recruitment of new employees at Hana Bank.

On the 14th, at the first trial sentencing hearing presided over by Judge Park Bo-mi of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Western District Court, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Ham to three years in prison and a fine of 5 million KRW.

Jang Ki-yong (67), former Vice President of Hana Bank, who was also indicted, was requested to be sentenced to two years in prison, and Hana Bank as a corporation, prosecuted under the principle of joint liability for violating the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance, was requested to be fined 5 million KRW. The prosecution stated the reason for the request, saying, "As the final person responsible for recruitment, he directly intervened in the crime by accepting personnel requests but denies the crime and shows no remorse."

Ham was indicted in June 2018 on charges of obstructing business, among others, for interfering with the selection process of candidates who passed the document screening by instructing the HR department to favor the son of a senior official at Kookmin Bank, whom he heard had applied to Hana Bank during the 2015 open recruitment when he was CEO.

The prosecution also judged that Ham obstructed the duties of interviewers during the training and executive interviews by instructing the HR department to pass candidates he had told them to favor if they failed to pass the training interview after the document screening.

Ham is also accused of violating the Equal Employment Act by instructing the HR department before the 2015 and 2016 open recruitments to set the male-to-female ratio at 4 to 1, thereby hiring more men.

Former HR heads of Hana Bank, among others, who followed Ham’s instructions, were sentenced to suspended prison terms and fines in 2020 and have appealed; the second trial verdict is scheduled for the end of this month.

Ham’s side denied the prosecution’s charges during the trial, stating, "The CEO’s recommendations did not limit the actions of HR staff or the fairness of the interviews."

At the trial on the day, Ham took the opportunity to speak, saying, "I thought I should not ignore someone who contacted me with difficulty, so I informed the HR head about the application, and looking back, I should not have said it; it was thoughtless."

However, he added, "I did not think the HR head would violate the standards and pass the candidate, and there was no reason to instruct to pass someone who did not meet the criteria. I deeply reflect on my imprudent actions once again. I am sorry."

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for the 25th of next month.

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