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Chapter 19 - Twenty Questions about Employment Testing Bias and Unfairness in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2025

Winfred Arthur, Jr.
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
Dennis Doverspike
Affiliation:
George Mason University
Benjamin D. Schulte
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
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Summary

The Korean term insamansa – “human resources are everything” –‘captures the deep value the nation places on personnel. Despite long-standing recognition of their importance, formal selection systems have emerged only recently. This chapter examines bias and fairness in Korean personnel selection through historical, legal, and societal lenses. Korea’s transformation from the labor-intensive industries of the 1960s–1980s to a technology-driven economy in the 2000s has reshaped perceptions of employment fairness. Current workplace protections primarily address sex and disability discrimination through laws such as the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act. Although the Fair Hiring Procedure Act aims to reduce biased practices, challenges persist in ensuring the validity and fairness of selection methods. Moreover, the increasing use of artificial intelligence in hiring raises concerns over algorithmic bias. The chapter calls for evidence-based policies and robust statistical methods to improve validity and fairness in Korea’s evolving labor market.

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