Campus buildings at Hannam University, Daejeon. / Korea Times file



By Lee Suh-yoon



Three Christian universities here are facing growing criticism after rejecting a recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) to hire non-Christian faculty members, according to the nation's human rights watchdog, Tuesday.



The NHRCK said Chongshin, Sungkyul and Hannam universities dismissed repeated demands to accept non-Christian applicants for staff positions.



Chongshin University took the position that its religion-based employee screening was necessary to fulfill "the school's founding purpose." Sunkyul University also refused, but said it may accept non-Christians who attended churches affiliated to the university 3 months prior to their appointment.



Hannam University said it was discussing the matter, but has failed to introduce any changes in its the hiring process so far.



The NHRCK said these universities "were not set up for the purpose of fostering only clergy members" and must abide by public expectations bestowed on higher education institutes. The universities also differ from other religious groups as they are subjected to regular evaluations by the education ministry to retain their university status.



"The school does not need an all-Christian staff to pursue its founding principles," former NHRCK Commissioner Jung Sang-hwan said in a decision letter sent to the schools in December 2018. "The only exception is for subjects that would struggle without a Christian instructor."



The ban on non-Christian professors also goes against anti-discrimination clauses in the Constitution and the Employment Security Law, according to the NHRCK. Clause 11 of the Constitution specifies a person cannot be discriminated against based on gender or religion in their economic activities.



Similar recommendations by the NHRCK were accepted by four other private Christian universities in 2010 and 2019.



