Hanwha Aerospace formally apologized for internal mid-career hiring guidelines that specified universities and age ranges unrelated to job performance. Lee Boo-hwan, Hanwha Aerospace’s chief executive, posted the apology on the company website on Sept. 27, saying the guidelines undermined open hiring and fair opportunity. The Ministry of Employment and Labor opened an inspection on Sept. 16 after allegations that the guidelines were sent to HR executives and recruiting managers across the company’s business divisions. Hanwha Aerospace said the episode resulted from misconduct by individual HR staff and that the material was never used in actual hiring. The company referred the official who drafted the guidelines to its personnel committee, plans disciplinary action against those responsible for creating and distributing them, and will review and potentially overhaul its hiring processes. It also plans to strengthen fair-hiring training and introduce safeguards to prevent discrimination from recurring.