Cases where advertised wages differed from contract wages referred to prosecutors

Referrals in six months reach 86.2% of last year's full-year total

287,772 job ads screened; 3,000 flagged as suspicious

A job posting board at an employment center in Seoul [Yonhap]
A job posting board at an employment center in Seoul [Yonhap]

A company that advertised a "full-time position with a three-month probationary period" but offered only a one-month fixed-term contract during the actual hiring process has been caught by authorities. Another employer, whose advertised wages differed from those in the actual employment contract, was referred for investigation and subsequently sent to prosecutors.

Reports of false job advertisements — listings that lure job seekers with misleading working conditions — reached 323 in the first half of this year alone, equivalent to 77.6 percent of last year's full-year total. The number of cases referred for criminal investigation also reached 86.2 percent of last year's annual figure in just six months.

According to data submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and obtained by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Hae-chul of the Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, the number of false job ad reports has risen every year — from 334 in 2022 to 365 in 2023, 404 in 2024 and 416 last year. Last year's figure was the highest since records began.

The upward trend has continued this year. The 323 reports filed through June amounted to 77.6 percent of last year's total. If the current pace holds, this year's tally could far exceed last year's record.

Cases escalating to criminal proceedings have also increased. Investigation referrals fell from 20 in 2022 to 18 in 2023 and 14 in 2024, before rebounding to 29 last year. This year, 25 cases were referred in the first half alone — already 86.2 percent of last year's annual total.

Created with ChatGPT
Created with ChatGPT

Even in cases that did not rise to the level of criminal punishment, employers whose ads could mislead job seekers received administrative guidance. The Seoul Eastern District Office directed one company — which had listed a monthly salary of "up to 3.5 million won ($2,590) or more" without specifying actual pay — to clearly state wage conditions and the basis for calculating pay.

The Ansan District Office ordered a company that had advertised manufacturing work but assigned employees to product packaging duties to accurately describe the actual job responsibilities. Another employer that advertised a five-day workweek but disclosed alternating Saturday shifts only during interviews was directed to specify working hours and the basis for wage calculation.

The number of administrative guidance cases grew from 14 in 2022 to 54 in 2023 and 75 in 2024. Last year the figure stood at 17, while 23 cases were recorded in the first half of this year.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor this year established an integrated job advertisement monitoring system. The system conducts comprehensive checks on newly posted listings across recruitment platforms and focuses on suspicious keywords such as "high income" and "Telegram" on major portals and SNS.

A review of 287,772 job advertisements conducted from April 1 through Aug. 31 identified 3,000 suspicious listings. Of those, 2,855 were confirmed to have been deleted, revised or reported. The remaining 145 operators were notified but either did not respond or failed to take action.

On major job platforms including Jobkorea and Saramin, 227,335 job ads were screened and 566 suspicious listings were found. Of those, 375 were deleted and 191 were revised or kept after a review of the facts. All 1,128 suspicious ads found on major portals including Naver and Daum were processed as reports.

"There have even been cases where job ads are exploited as a tool for crime — such as luring people into criminal organizations through major job portals and SNS with promises of high-paying overseas work," Park said. "We need to strengthen effective responses, including swift deletions and more active investigation referrals."


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