Moon orders 'blind screening' of all new recruits in public sector

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for the introduction of "blind screening" in hiring all new employees in the public sector, saying it will help make sure the jobs will go to the most qualified, instead of those with better personal or school ties.

"I hope to immediately introduce the system to ensure fair competition, strictly based on skills and abilities," the president said in a weekly meeting with his top secretaries, according to presidential office Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.

Under the blind system, job applicants will not be asked to write down their academic backgrounds, physical conditions or birthplaces unless the jobs they are seeking to secure requires such information.

Those in charge of hiring will be prohibited from accessing such information.

"In other words, by eliminating all elements that could be used to discriminate, those from a prestigious college or from lesser known schools, schools in Seoul or those in rural areas will compete under the same conditions, from the same starting line with only their skills and abilities," the president said.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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