Embattled Woongjin Group disappointed many an eager intern when it retracted its promise to make regular employees of the majority of those who completed an 8-week internship.

In June, months before it was forced to apply for court receivership due to financial difficulties, Woongjin accepted about 100 interns. About 80 percent of them were expected to become regular employees, but Woongjin said only 20 interns would be accepted, ChosunBiz.com reported on Friday.

Remarking that the company had accepted over 60 percent of the intern workforce as regular employees last year, Woongjin’s head of human resources Yoo Seong-hyun had said in April that Woongjin would keep to this trend by “hiring outstanding interns as regular employees regardless of quota or vacancies this year.”

In August, when the internship ended, the team leaders at the Woongjin affiliates summoned the interns to verbally notify them of the good news that they would be joining the workforce as regular employees. But the company ended up reneging on its promise due to financial difficulties.

Woongjin in September applied for court receivership after its ailing construction arm Kukdong was unable to service its heavy debt.

The affiliates notified the interns of the employment cut, asking for their understanding as neither the team leaders nor the Woongjin management had been able to foresee the financial difficulties.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)