Companies falling short on female hiring standards face procurement penalties and reputational exposure

South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on Wednesday published the names of 41 companies that failed to comply with government-set gender diversity requirements aimed at improving the representation of women in hiring and managerial roles. The companies, which include public and private firms with 500 or more regular employees, were found to have female employment or management ratios below 70% of the industry average for three consecutive assessment cycles and did not implement sufficient corrective measures after formal government notice.

The listed firms will be named in the official government gazette, posted on MOEL’s website for six months and face point deductions in trustworthiness evaluations during public procurement reviews, including assessments for designation as preferred suppliers. Among those named are chaebol-affiliated firms such as SK Hynix System IC, KT Linkus, Youngpoong Electronics and Joongang Express, as well as high-profile manufacturers like GM Korea. The list did not include Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Lotte, Hanwha, Doosan, CJ or POSCO.

South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on Wednesday published the names of 41 companies that failed to comply with government-set gender diversity requirements aimed at improving the representation of women in hiring and managerial roles. The companies, which include public and private firms with 500 or more regular employees, were found to have female employment or management ratios below 70% of the industry average for three consecutive assessment cycles and did not implement sufficient corrective measures after formal government notice.

The listed firms will be named in the official government gazette, posted on MOEL’s website for six months and face point deductions in trustworthiness evaluations during public procurement reviews, including assessments for designation as preferred suppliers. Among those named are chaebol-affiliated firms such as SK Hynix System IC, KT Linkus, Youngpoong Electronics and Joongang Express, as well as high-profile manufacturers like GM Korea. The list did not include Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Lotte, Hanwha, Doosan, CJ or POSCO.

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