[Hyosung Group]
[Hyosung Group]

Hyosung Group is drawing attention after launching its first-ever open recruitment drive exclusively for humanities majors — an unusual move in a corporate world where hiring has long been dominated by science and engineering candidates.

According to industry sources Wednesday, Hyosung Group is accepting applications from Monday through July 22, targeting those who hold or expect to receive a bachelor's or master's degree from a humanities or liberal arts college by August this year.

Eligible majors are limited to humanities fields — including history, philosophy and aesthetics — as well as language and literature disciplines such as Korean and English.

It is the first time Hyosung Group has held a dedicated recruitment process exclusively for humanities majors since its founding in 1966. Such targeted open hiring for specific humanities fields is also rare across the broader corporate sector.

The company said it designed the recruitment drive to secure talent with humanistic thinking and foreign-language skills in line with its global business expansion.

Applicants who wish to work at overseas operations will be given preference, and the company said it plans to place no restrictions on the specific roles new hires will take on.

Some say the recruitment reflects the management philosophy of Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, who has long emphasized the importance of the humanities and foreign-language proficiency.

In a past media interview, Cho said, "There is a sense in our generation that technology cannot succeed without combining with the humanities," adding, "The power to read change — the power to read the timing of riding a roller coaster — lies in the humanities."

Cho, who studied in the United States and Japan, speaks multiple foreign languages including English, Japanese and Italian, and has consistently urged employees to strengthen their language skills to sharpen the company's global competitiveness.

"Hyosung Group is a global company that generates more than 80 percent of its sales overseas," a company official said. "This recruitment is aimed at securing talent with humanistic sensibility, language ability and a passion for working at global operations."

The move stands out at a time when most companies are focused on securing technology talent amid the spread of generative AI — Hyosung has instead put humanistic thinking and global communication skills front and center. Industry watchers are now asking whether the convergence of technology and the humanities, increasingly seen as a new driver of corporate competitiveness, could prompt other companies to follow suit.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com