"What Were You Doing Instead of Getting Married at That Age?" - A Question from an Interview

Welfare Center Temporary Staff Recruitment Process Controversy
Anti-Corruption Commission Orders Apology and Preventive Measures

A complaint was raised that an interviewer asked insulting questions during the hiring interview process at a welfare center.

On the 23rd, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) revealed that during a temporary worker hiring interview at a senior welfare center last March, one interviewer asked the interviewee, "What have you been doing all this time without getting married at your age?"

The same interviewer reportedly made inappropriate remarks to another applicant, saying, "You have a good impression, but you look very strong-willed."

Kim Tae-gyu, Vice Chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Photo by Yonhap News

Despite this, the welfare center did not restrain or caution the interviewer, and applicant A, who felt humiliated, protested directly to the welfare center after the interview. However, it was reported that the welfare center only issued a formal apology at that time.

The interviewer's remarks may violate the Employment Procedures Act. According to current law, it is prohibited to request or collect personal information unrelated to job duties, such as height, origin, or marital status, from job seekers.

In response, the ACRC stated, "We have instructed the welfare centers in the jurisdiction to apologize to applicant A for the inappropriate interview questions and to distribute hiring procedure guidelines to prevent recurrence." They also added that qualified individuals are selected when appointing interviewers.

Regarding this, Kim Taegyu, Vice Chairman of the ACRC, acknowledged, "There was negligence in the supervision and guidance regarding the appointment and training of hiring interviewers," and emphasized, "Public institutions need to review the processes of interviewer appointment and training and prepare measures to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future."

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