'Hana Financial Group Chairman Accused of Hiring-Related Charges Appeals Supreme Court After Guilty Verdict in Second Trial'

The Supreme Court will determine the guilt of Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, on charges of recruitment corruption.

Hana Financial Group.

According to the legal community on the 27th, Ham's legal counsel submitted a notice of appeal to the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Appeals Division 1 (Chief Judge Woo In-seong) on the 24th.

Ham, who is accused of obstruction of business and violation of the Gender Equality in Employment Act, was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation and fined 3 million won at the appellate trial held on the 23rd. He was acquitted in the first trial, but the decision was overturned in the second trial.

The appellate court explained the sentencing by stating, "It is judged that Chairman Ham was involved in the selection of successful candidates in the group interview," and "He appears to have been involved in the selection of new employees with a gender imbalance in violation of the Gender Equality in Employment Act." However, the court took into consideration that Ham's personal interests were not directly connected.

Ham is suspected of recruitment corruption during the open recruitment process for new employees when he was the president of Hana Bank in 2015, including intervening in document screening, group interviews, and executive interviews upon requests from acquaintances. He was indicted in June 2018 on charges of giving preferential treatment to specific applicants by manipulating the scores of those who were to be rejected. Additionally, he is accused of discriminatory hiring by maintaining a 4:1 male-to-female ratio among new employees from 2013 to 2016.

According to the Financial Company Governance Act, if Ham's sentence is finalized by the Supreme Court during his term, he will lose his position as chairman. Ham's term began in March last year and lasts for three years.