State-run IBK Securities has been hit by a hiring scandal, as several employees have been indicted by the prosecution over charges of manipulating interview scores of certain candidates and alleged gender discrimination in the hiring process, reports said Tuesday.

According to prosecutors, a 50-year-old executive director surnamed Park was indicted over allegations of violating the equal employment law, which promotes gender equality in hiring, and for obstructing business. Three others who had received and followed orders from Park were also indicted without detention. 

The interview scores of three unqualified applicants were allegedly fabricated between 2016 and 2017, as they were at the risk of being disqualified. They were subsequently hired. All three applicants had personal relationships with either former or incumbent executives or VIP customers of the firm, the reports said.

The firm also allegedly discriminated against women in recruitment by raising the bar for scores of female applicants while lowering it for males, based on Park’s orders to the human resources team. Women who scored within the same range as their male counterparts were disadvantaged in the hiring process, the prosecution argues.

Park’s decision reportedly caused the disqualification of 20 female applicants from 2016 to 2017. Tuesday’s reports marked the latest in a series of hiring scandals and discrimination revealed in the nation’s financial sector. 

By Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)