South Korea to screen job ads for inflated wages before posting, order instant removal of false listings

Job recruitment platforms will be required to verify whether listings are false or exaggerated before publishing ads that offer wages significantly above market rates or contain language likely to mislead job seekers. The government and local authorities will also gain the power to order the immediate suspension or removal of fraudulent job postings already online.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced Tuesday it will open a 40-day public comment period, running through Nov. 2, on proposed amendments to the enforcement decree and rules of the Employment Security Act. The revisions are intended to establish specific procedures and delegated matters under an amended Employment Security Act set to take effect Dec. 10.

Under the proposed amendments, job information service providers must verify the accuracy of job postings — or changes to existing postings — that carry a high likelihood of being false or exaggerated before they go live. Platforms would use data they already hold or can readily access to check the validity of ad content.

Ads subject to mandatory pre-screening include those placed by employers who received a government corrective order within the past six months, as well as ads from employers whose listings were flagged as potentially false or exaggerated during a complaint review.

Ads offering wages significantly higher than the going rate for similar positions, or containing language that could mislead job seekers by common social standards, will also fall within the scope of verification.

Even after an ad is posted, platforms must continue monitoring it if substantial grounds emerge to suspect it is false or exaggerated. Where verification reveals sufficient reason to classify a listing as fraudulent, platforms may ask the employer to correct it or suspend or remove it, depending on the severity of the violation.

The intent is to reduce the burden on platforms by targeting only high-risk ads for scrutiny rather than screening all listings uniformly, while still protecting job seekers from harm.

The amendments also spell out the procedure for government orders to correct, suspend or remove fraudulent job ads. As a general rule, authorities must notify the relevant party in writing, specifying the ad title, the medium and URL where it appears, the content and grounds of the order, and the deadline for reporting back on compliance.

However, when there is a risk of serious harm to job seekers and urgent action is needed, authorities may issue the order verbally or by phone first and follow up with written notice afterward. When notifying related agencies of a fraudulent posting, they must also communicate the anticipated harm to job seekers and the measures required.

The head of the relevant employment security agency will handle orders related to job information services, overseas fee-based placement services and worker supply businesses. Mayors and governors of local governments will exercise authority over ads related to domestic free and fee-based placement services.

A procedure will also be established allowing administrative agencies to cancel the registrations of job information and placement service providers that have closed without filing the required notice. Authorities will cross-check closure tax filings, lease terminations and whether related platforms are still operating. If they determine a business has closed, they must post advance notice for at least 14 days before canceling the registration.

The standards for administrative sanctions will also change. Under the current rules, a business suspension can be imposed regardless of how minor the violation. The amendments allow a formal warning to be issued on a first offense for minor violations, enabling a "warn first, penalize later" approach.

"We will filter out job ads suspected of being false or exaggerated before they are posted, and swiftly block fraudulent ads already online, creating a two-layered shield to protect job seekers," Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said.