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| Questions such as 'what does your father do?' are no longer allowed during job interviews. Gettyimagesbank |
By Jung Min-ho
A new law banning companies from asking jobseekers for unnecessary personal information came into force Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the law bans companies from requiring job applicants to submit sensitive information, such as their regions of birth and other family members' profiles, and asking such questions during job interviews.
Other information that should not be asked includes their wealth, marital status and physical condition such as weight, height and whether they have a "decent appearance." However, if such information is essential to evaluate applicants' suitability for positions such as modeling, employers can demand it.
A company that violates the law can be fined 3 million won ($2,600) for a first offense, 4 million won for a second violation and 5 million for a third.
Korean companies have long been notorious for intrusive and discriminatory hiring practices that require job applicants to submit all sorts of personal information. In an effort to change this, the National Assembly passed a bill in March to ban such practices.
