Participants pose during a launch ceremony for Hana Financial Group's annual internship program involving social innovation enterprises at the group's headquarters in Seoul, Friday. Among them are Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, second row ninth from left; Vice Labor Minister Kwon Chang-jun, second row eighth from left; and Jung Sung-gug, second row sixth from left, president of the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency. Courtesy of Hana Financial Group
Hana Financial Group said Monday that it launched its annual internship program aimed at helping social enterprises hire job seekers who face barriers to employment.
The launch ceremony was held at the group's headquarters in central Seoul, Friday, and was attended by about 100 people, including Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, Vice Labor Minister Kwon Chang-jun, Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency President Jung Sung-gug, representatives of participating companies and interns.
The event featured an introduction to this year's internship program and exhibition booths showcasing participating social enterprises and their products.
"The internship program is meaningful in that it gives job seekers an opportunity to prove their potential while helping innovative companies grow with talented workers. We will continue supporting sustainable growth and development by connecting people with opportunities," Ham said.
The annual internship program, introduced in 2022, aims to support employment at social innovation companies by matching participating firms with job seekers who often face barriers to employment. Hana Financial Group said it had matched 935 job seekers with participating companies as of 2025.
Hana said 170 out of 230 interns who participated in the program last year, or 73.9 percent, were hired as full-time employees afterward.
This year, it plans to support 250 social innovation companies by providing interns with monthly salaries of 2.3 million won ($1,530) for three months. Companies that hire interns as full-time employees after the program will receive support equivalent to an additional two months of wages.
The program's eligibility has been expanded to include marriage migrant women, the elderly, women returning to the workforce after career breaks and people with disabilities.
Interns will also receive additional support for self-development, health care and child care expenses, while participating companies will be offered training programs related to artificial intelligence tools and workforce management.
Source: Korea Times News
