'Hamyungju, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, Found Guilty in Appeal Trial Over Hiring Corruption Allegations... "Will Appeal"'

6-Month Prison Sentence with 2-Year Probation in Appeal
Acquitted in First Trial
Chairman Ham: "Will Seek Supreme Court Judgment"

Ham Young-joo, chairman of Hana Financial Group, who was acquitted in the first trial regarding allegations of recruitment corruption, was found guilty in the second trial. Chairman Ham stated that he will seek a retrial at the Supreme Court.

On the 23rd, the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) overturned the original verdict in the appellate trial for Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, who was indicted on charges including obstruction of business and violation of the Act on Gender Equality in Employment. He was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation and fined 3 million won. Chairman Ham leaving the court after the trial.
Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@

On the 23rd, the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) overturned the original verdict and sentenced Chairman Ham, who was indicted on charges including obstruction of business and violation of the Gender Equality Employment Act, to six months in prison with a two-year probation and a fine of 3 million won in the appellate trial. The prosecution had requested a three-year prison sentence and a fine of 5 million won for Chairman Ham in August. Additionally, the appellate court upheld the first trial's sentence of six months in prison with a two-year probation for former Hana Bank Vice President Jang Ki-yong. The Hana Bank corporation had its original verdict overturned and was fined 7 million won.

The court explained, "It has been determined that Chairman Ham was involved in the selection of candidates who passed the group interview, and he appears to have been involved in the selection of new employees with a gender imbalance, violating the Gender Equality Employment Act," adding, "It is a favorable circumstance that the defendant's personal interests were not directly connected."

Chairman Ham announced his intention to appeal and receive a judgment from the Supreme Court. After the trial, he told reporters, "I respect the court's judgment," but added, "I will appeal and seek a retrial."

Chairman Ham is accused of instructing the HR department to favorably consider the son of a senior official at Kookmin Bank, who applied for Hana Bank's open recruitment, during his tenure as Hana Bank president in 2015. He is also suspected of instructing the HR department to ensure that candidates he recommended during the group interview stage after the document screening would not fail, effectively guaranteeing their acceptance. The charges also include pre-determining the male-to-female ratio of new employees from 2013 to 2016.

The prosecution indicted Chairman Ham in June 2018. However, in March last year, the first trial court acquitted him. At that time, the court stated, "It is acknowledged that Chairman Ham conveyed his recommendation for some candidates during the 2015 Hana Bank open recruitment process, but there is no evidence that he ensured the acceptance of candidates who were not in the passing range," and explained, "Apart from conveying recommendations, there is insufficient evidence to prove that he expressed opinions or exerted influence by separately checking and judging the acceptance process for each stage."