Age-limit in Tourism Consultant Recruitment is Discrimination
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended Daejeon Metropolitan City to remove the age limit in the recruitment for cultural tourism consultant position, assessing that the age-limit is discrimination.
Mr. Cho (age 66) submitted a complaint to the NHRCK in June 2010, alleging that he was not able to apply for the cultural tourism consultant due to the age limit of 65.
Daejeon Metropolitan City explained that a local government may decide the working age of a consultant must be less than 70 years, according to the guideline of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It further stated that it established the age limit of 65 after considering the period necessary for adjustment and the average working period, as well as the need for stable consultation employment for the position of consultants.
However, the NHRCK investigated and assessed that placing age-restrictions at the age of 65 would be excessive considering that the guideline does not impose the restriction on persons over the age of 65; that the local government could apply higher age restriction considering individual health conditions; and that there is no obligation for the newly recruited consultant to work for more than 5 years.
Furthermore, the NHRCK added that the local government could contribute to promoting the social participation of the elderly citizens by eradicating unfair age-restriction and widening the opportunities.
