[비즈한국] Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo has escaped the risk of losing his position. On January 29, the Supreme Court remanded Ham's hiring irregularities case, stating there was 'no direct evidence' regarding the charges of obstruction of business, effectively leaning toward an acquittal. Having received a suspended sentence in the second trial—with his chairmanship dependent on the final verdict—Chairman Ham can now continue his term as he prepares to contest the charges again in court following the remand. The original verdict was upheld for Hana Bank as a corporate entity and former Vice President Jang Ki-yong, who were indicted alongside Chairman Ham.
On January 29, the First Division of the Supreme Court partially overturned the lower court's ruling in the case involving Chairman Ham Young-joo's charges of obstruction of business and violations of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act (Equal Employment Act), and sent it back to the Seoul High Court. The Supreme Court remanded the obstruction of business charges with a view toward acquittal while upholding the guilty verdict for the Equal Employment Act violation. Chairman Ham had previously been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of 3 million won in the second trial. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of former Vice President Jang Ki-yong and the Hana Bank corporate entity, which had been indicted under the joint penal provision, confirming their lower court sentences.
With this ruling, Chairman Ham has relieved himself of a legal risk that has persisted for nearly eight years. Under the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies, an individual serving a suspended sentence of imprisonment or greater cannot serve as an executive of a financial company. If the Supreme Court had upheld the original verdict, Chairman Ham would have had to step down. However, the remand with a view toward partial acquittal effectively allows him to maintain his position. Chairman Ham successfully secured his reappointment in March 2025, extending his term until March 2028.
Chairman Ham was indicted by the prosecution in 2018 on charges of intervening in the recruitment process for new employees between 2015 and 2016, while serving as President of Hana Bank, by manipulating the scores of failed applicants to favor certain individuals following personnel requests. He was also accused of violating the Equal Employment Act by setting a 4-to-1 male-to-female ratio for new bank employees between 2013 and 2016.
In the first trial in March 2022, Chairman Ham Young-joo was acquitted, while former Vice President Jang Ki-yong was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and Hana Bank was fined 7 million won. The first trial court determined there was no evidence that Chairman Ham had ordered the unfair hiring practices, and ruled that the discriminatory hiring was unrelated to the bank president's decision-making.
However, the results were overturned in the second trial in November 2023. The second trial court partially overturned the acquittal, sentencing Chairman Ham to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of 3 million won. Conversely, former Vice President Jang's appeal was dismissed, and Hana Bank's guilty verdict and sentence from the first trial were maintained.
The second trial court stated, "Based on the evidence, it appears that Chairman Ham unfairly intervened in the process of selecting successful candidates for group interviews in 2016 and was involved in the gender imbalance in new employee recruitment from 2015 to 2016." Regarding the sentencing, they explained, "It is clear that unfair hiring practices obstruct the fair recruitment processes of a bank, which carries a strong public character," adding, "We also considered that legitimate candidates were denied employment as a result."