Hanwha Aerospace has formally apologized after an internal guideline for experienced hires included restrictions based on age and university background. Chief Executive Lee Boo-hwan said such conditions should not have been used to limit applicants for reasons unrelated to job performance, and described the distribution of the guideline as a clear internal failure.
The company said the document reached recruitment staff without adequate consultation or review. Hanwha Aerospace has referred responsible personnel to a personnel committee for disciplinary procedures and said it will issue stern warnings to relevant departments and managers.
The case had already drawn government scrutiny. The Ministry of Employment and Labor began supervision on September 16 after allegations emerged that the company had circulated guidance setting age and school-background limits for experienced applicants. The company's apology therefore comes while an external labor review is already under way.
Recruitment process under review
Hanwha Aerospace says it will examine its recruitment process, correct any additional problems it finds and expand fair-hiring education across the company. The stated goal is to reinforce an open recruitment principle that does not restrict applicants on personal conditions unrelated to the work itself.
For job seekers, the immediate significance is not only the apology. The company has acknowledged that the guideline existed, identified internal review failures and committed to disciplinary and process changes. The labor ministry's supervision remains the outside test of whether those measures fully address the underlying practice.