[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Allegations of unfair hiring have arisen at the Gwangju Design Center Foundation, established with funding from Gwangju Metropolitan City.
According to the Gwangju Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition on the 20th, the current director, who took office in November 2018, created and operated a 'Creative Innovation Committee' composed of external personnel to diagnose the overall management of the center.
Immediately after the activities of the Creative Innovation Committee ended, a 'public recruitment announcement for staff and planners' was made in January last year, and two members who had served as innovation committee members were hired as full-time heads of the Planning and Management Headquarters and the Management Support Team.
The Gwangju Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition raised concerns that the two innovation committee members applied for and were hired for full-time positions, and that some of the innovation committee members who worked together participated as interviewers and were involved in the hiring process.
According to the recruitment announcement at the time, applicants were required to write a job performance plan, and it is judged that the applicants who were former innovation committee members had an advantage in writing the job performance plan because they were well aware of the internal affairs of the Design Center while serving as committee members.
Also, although the blind recruitment method was applied to the self-introduction letter to prevent the inclusion of information implying the applicant's place of origin, family relations, academic background, etc., it is argued that the fundamental purpose of the blind recruitment method was undermined because innovation committee members applied despite the application of the blind recruitment method.
They point out that a more serious problem is that an innovation committee member, who was a stakeholder and had worked with the applicants, participated as an interviewer.
It is common sense that interviewers with conflicts of interest should voluntarily recuse themselves, and especially in this case, since the interviewer participated as an innovation committee member, the Design Center should have excluded them.
The Gwangju Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition stated, "The Gwangju Design Center Foundation, which conducted hiring that deviates from common sense and the expectations of citizens, should be thoroughly audited by Gwangju City, and measures that citizens can accept should be taken," adding, "A comprehensive review of the hiring methods and procedures of affiliated public institutions should be conducted, detailed guidelines should be established, and special measures should be taken to prevent unfair and unjust disputes during the hiring process."
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