Hanchangsoo, CEO of Asiana Airlines, is attending the airline CEO meeting held on the 10th at the Korea Airports Corporation building in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] As Asiana Airlines has declared a 'crisis management system,' internal turmoil has erupted after it was revealed that Chairman Han Chang-soo's second son recently joined as a flight crew member.
Asiana Airlines explained that the hiring process was conducted normally, but with the acquisition by HDC Hyundai Development Company imminent and the management environment deteriorating to the point of declaring crisis management, some point out that this controversy was self-inflicted.
According to the aviation industry on the 18th, Chairman Han's eldest son was hired and joined Asiana Airlines as a flight crew member last week. It is also known that Chairman Han's second son has been working at Asiana Airlines since 2017.
Inside the company, while HDC Hyundai Development Company's due diligence for the acquisition continues, strong backlash is emerging as the management environment is extremely deteriorated due to COVID-19.
An employee pointed out through the anonymous workplace application Blind, "When you apply to a company where your father is the chairman, does the HR team not know during the hiring process? Even regular employees know, so wouldn't there be special treatment? It's as if acceptance is guaranteed upon application."
An Asiana Airlines official stated, "Chairman Han's eldest son was hired through a normal procedure," and added, "There is no problem with the eligibility criteria."
Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines announced that to overcome the management crisis triggered by COVID-19, all executives including Chairman Han have submitted their resignations and agreed to return 20-40% of their salaries, and a 10-day unpaid leave will be implemented for all employees.
In a statement sent to employees, Chairman Han said, "Our company is facing a crisis of recording massive operating losses due to COVID-19, and it is urgent to establish and implement company-wide measures to overcome this," adding, "The management will take the lead so that our efforts to overcome the current crisis bear fruit. I ask for your full understanding and participation."
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