Hanwha Aerospace apologizes over controversial hiring guidelines

Hanwha Aerospace apologized on Sunday for hiring guidelines that restricted experienced-hire applicants by age and educational background and said it would discipline those responsible. CEO Lee Boo-hwan said the guidelines violated the company’s open-hiring and equal-opportunity principles. The company said it will overhaul its recruitment process and strengthen fair-hiring training.

The labor ministry launched an inspection on Sept. 16 over allegations that Hanwha Aerospace had prepared and distributed hiring guidelines specifying age ranges and universities for experienced-hire positions.

Lee Boo-hwan said the company learned last month that an HR official had drawn up the guidelines targeting applicants from specific universities and age groups.

The company has referred those responsible to its personnel committee, and disciplinary proceedings are underway.

Hanwha Aerospace said it will conduct a comprehensive review of its hiring process and make any necessary changes.

Published Sep 27, 2026 3:39 pm KST

Hanwha Group headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Hanwha Group

Hanwha Aerospace CEO Lee Boo-hwan

Hanwha Aerospace has apologized for hiring guidelines that restricted experienced-hire applicants based on age and educational background, pledging to discipline those responsible and overhaul its recruitment process to prevent similar incidents.

CEO Lee Boo-hwan issued an apology on the company website on Sunday, saying it was unacceptable to restrict applicants’ opportunities based on personal attributes.

“There should never have been guidelines that could limit applicants’ opportunities based on personal factors such as education and age, which are unrelated to job performance,” Lee said.

The labor ministry launched an inspection on Sept. 16 over allegations that Hanwha Aerospace had prepared and distributed guidelines specifying age ranges and universities for experienced-hire positions to human resources executives and hiring managers.

Lee said the guidelines “directly violated” the company’s principles of open hiring and equal opportunity, adding that he took the matter very seriously.

“This was a clear failure on our part, as incorrect guidelines were distributed to the relevant departments without sufficient internal consultation or thorough review. We take full responsibility for this,” Lee said.

“Fair hiring is the most basic form of justice and an obligation that companies must provide to society.”

He noted the departments and individuals responsible would face disciplinary action, adding that the company will strengthen fair-hiring training to “promote a recruitment culture free of discrimination.”

According to the company, Lee learned last month that an HR official had drawn up hiring guidelines targeting applicants from specific universities and age groups.

Earlier this month, he warned those involved and emailed all HR employees, business-unit and division heads, saying the company would not tolerate inappropriate hiring practices.

The company has referred those responsible for drafting the guidelines to its personnel committee and said that disciplinary proceedings are underway.

“We will take this incident as a painful lesson and ensure that such unreasonable discrimination does not happen again,” Lee said.

Hanwha Aerospace said it will conduct a comprehensive review of its hiring process and make any necessary changes. It also plans to provide stronger training on fair hiring practices to all employees and ensure those principles are reflected throughout the recruitment process.

韩华航空航天公司周日就其招聘指南道歉，该指南限制了有经验的求职者在年龄和教育背景方面的选择，并表示将对相关责任人进行处分。首席执行官李富焕表示，该指南违反了公司公开招聘和机会均等的原则。公司表示将彻底改革招聘流程，并加强公平招聘方面的培训。

9月16日，劳动部对韩华航空航天公司涉嫌制定并分发招聘指南展开调查，该指南规定了有经验员工的年龄范围和大学要求。

李富焕表示，该公司上个月得知，一名人力资源官员制定了针对特定大学和年龄段求职者的指导方针。

公司已将相关责任人移交人事委员会，目前正在进行纪律处分程序。

韩华航空航天公司表示，将对其招聘流程进行全面审查，并做出必要的调整。

发布于2026年9月27日下午3:39（韩国标准时间）

韩华集团首尔总部 / 图片由韩华集团提供

韩华航空航天公司首席执行官李富焕

韩华航空航天公司就其招聘指南中基于年龄和教育背景限制有经验的求职者一事道歉，并承诺惩处相关责任人，彻底改革其招聘流程，以防止类似事件再次发生。

周日，CEO李富焕在公司网站上发表道歉声明，称基于个人特质限制求职者的机会是不可接受的。

李说：“根本不应该有任何指导方针，基于教育程度和年龄等与工作表现无关的个人因素来限制申请人的机会。”

9月16日，劳动部对韩华航空航天公司涉嫌制定并向人力资源主管和招聘经理分发指导方针展开调查，该指导方针规定了经验丰富的员工的年龄范围和大学要求。

李表示，这些指导方针“直接违反”了公司公开招聘和机会均等的原则，并补充说，他非常重视此事。

李说：“这显然是我们的失职，因为我们在没有进行充分的内部磋商或彻底审查的情况下，就向相关部门分发了错误的指导方针。我们对此负全部责任。”

“公平招聘是最基本的正义形式，也是公司必须对社会承担的义务。”

他指出，相关部门和个人将面临纪律处分，并补充说，公司将加强公平招聘培训，以“促进无歧视的招聘文化”。

据该公司称，李上个月得知，一位人力资源官员制定了招聘指南，专门针对来自特定大学和年龄段的申请人。

本月初，他警告了相关人员，并向所有人力资源员工、业务部门和事业部负责人发送电子邮件，称公司不会容忍不当的招聘行为。

该公司已将负责起草该准则的人员移交人事委员会，并表示纪律处分程序正在进行中。

李说：“我们将把这次事件视为一个惨痛的教训，并确保这种不合理的歧视不再发生。”

韩华航空航天公司表示，将对其招聘流程进行全面审查，并做出必要的调整。该公司还计划加强对全体员工公平招聘实践的培训，并确保这些原则贯穿整个招聘流程。