KT&G (CEO Baek Bok-in) acquired 'Equal Salary Certification’ on the 17th, making it the first listed Korean company to do so.

This certification verifies that the company implements an equal wage policy for employees with the same qualifications regardless of gender, and provides opportunities such as recruitment, evaluation, and promotion in an open and fair way. Accredited by the European Commission, it is a certification system organized by the Equal Salary Foundation, a non-profit foundation in Switzerland.

KT&G decided to obtain the certification in order to have its personnel system, including wage policy, officially verified according to the objective standards of an independent professional institution, and to use this as a starting point for advanced human rights management. To obtain the certification, the company underwent a rigorous screening process for about five months. First, after analyzing salary-related data to verify the equal wage policy, group interviews were conducted for the purpose of investigating auditing procedures and awareness among employees. The documented in-house policy was verified and overall fairness for personnel were evaluated.

With this certification, KT&G has been recognized for having a fair personnel system based on an equal wage policy and systematic human rights management. Specifically, recruitment is operated blindly for the purpose of competency-based, non-discriminatory selection, and evaluation and promotion are conducted through fair procedures such as interviews, an objection system, and a promotion review committee rather than by way of notification. Also, to enable employees to balance work and family life, the company has in paid leave systems such as maternity leave and parental leave of up to two years per child, childcare allowances, and support for fertility treatment expenses for supporting childbirth and childcare.

In order to reflect the opinions of our employees in our management activities, KT&G also operates various communication channels such as the Employee Relations (ER) team - a department in charge of corporate culture - the Sangsang Junior Board, a consultative body for the 2030 generation, and an HR system satisfaction survey. Meanwhile, KT&G was selected as Korea's best job creator and work-life balance provider by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and was certified as an excellent family-friendly company by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, having proven its efforts to communicate with employees and develop a fair and open HR system.

President and CEO of KT&G Bok-in Baek said in a communique, "This equal wage certification is the result of the company and its employees developing human rights management policies through active communication." He closed by saying, "KT&G plans to continuously develop inclusive and fair policies for all employees to strengthen the company's fundamental competitiveness.”