Kelly bottled beer rolls off the production line at Hite Jinro's Gangwon Province factory. The factory produces an average of 4 million bottles of beer per day. [Hite Jinro]
Kelly bottled beer rolls off the production line at Hite Jinro's Gangwon Province factory. The factory produces an average of 4 million bottles of beer per day. [Hite Jinro]

Hite Jinro has launched a voluntary retirement program targeting employees with 15 or more years of service — its first such program since 2022.

Applications will be accepted from Wednesday through Nov. 25, according to industry sources. Departing employees will receive severance pay along with additional compensation based on their length of service: those with 15 to fewer than 20 years of tenure will receive 20 months' salary, while those with 20 or more years will receive 36 months'.

"We are pursuing various management improvement initiatives to secure a stable earnings base and strengthen future competitiveness in response to stagnant growth in the domestic liquor market, shifting consumer conditions and growing internal and external business uncertainties," a Hite Jinro official said. The official added that the voluntary retirement program was designed "to build a sustainable business environment and foster future growth, while giving employees the opportunity to prepare for the next chapter of their lives."


siuu@heraldcorp.com