Hanwha to hire relatives of Cheonan sailors

Social Affairs

Hanwha to hire relatives of Cheonan sailors

Hanwha Group will hire members of the bereaved families of the sailors who died aboard the Cheonan, the company said yesterday.

The military contractor made the decision at the prompting of Chairman Kim Seung-youn, who said, “We should ponder what we can do for the bereaved families.”

The South Korean Navy patrol boat sank near the inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea on March 26, taking with it 46 soldiers.

Hanwha Corp., a leading affiliate of the group, produces propulsion components for missiles and various weapons. Its gunpowder division and its affiliates plan to employ wives, children or siblings of the men lost in the disaster.

Hanwha notified the Navy and the families of the plan, and promised to match the relatives’ ages and work experience to suitable positions.

“We hope that this would provide some condolence to the grieving families.”

said Chang Il-hyung, an executive at the group.

By Limb Jae-un [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]