Korean Air hires disabled athletes, commits to sustainable social value

Korean Air Lines is broadening its efforts to employ disabled individuals who aspire to become professional athletes, while reinforcing its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

Park Su-han, left, and Kim Se-hoon, Korean Air employees who have been named to Korea's swimming national team for the 2022 Huangzhou Asian Para Games, pose for a picture at the athletes' village in Icheon, Gyeonggi. [KOREAN AIR LINES]

Korean Air Lines is broadening its efforts to employ disabled individuals who aspire to become professional athletes, while reinforcing its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

Since last year, Korean Air has been hiring disabled athletes as full-time employees aimed at providing them with financial stability and an opportunity to carry on with their athletic careers. It is in collaboration with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities (KEAD) and the Seoul Sports Association for the Differently-abled (SSAD) to participate in projects including supporting the creation of disabled athlete teams and enhancing the involvement of disabled individuals in sports roles.

The transition from education to professional sports careers has proven challenging for many disabled athletes in Korea. As of September, there were 15,847 registered disabled athletes in the country, while 97 percent of them remain not affiliated with any professional sports team, according to data from the Korea Paralympic Committee.

As part of the initiative, Korean Air has been actively recruiting disabled athletes, hiring 17 of them last year and an additional 17 this year. The newly hired athletes were recommended by the KEAD and the SSAD.

These new employees include athletes specializing in curling, swimming and table tennis, ranging from emerging talents to those with international competition experience. They will continue to train and compete as athletes while also serving as employees of Korean Air.

Four of them — Kim Se-hoon, Park Su-han, Lee Da-eun and Lee Joo-young — are competing as national athletes in the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, which are held until Saturday.

The athletes are compensated for their training hours. In addition, the airline provides them with various benefits, including flight tickets, child care support and bonuses for participating in national competitions.

Korean Air's commitment to the initiative underscores its dedication to ESG management practices. The move aligns with the Korean government's requirement that companies with 50 regular employees or over employ more than 3.1 percent of their workforce as disabled individuals.

"As a national flagship airline and a sports-friendly company, we will fulfill our social responsibility, such as creating jobs for those with disabilities, and take a leading role in ESG management practices," Korean Air said.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]