The practice of excluding old applicants from employment opportunities based on their age is still rife among many South Korean companies, the labor ministry said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said 98 cases, or 2.2 percent, out of 4,381 job advertisements posted on online job sites from March 23 to April 6 contained discriminatory requirements based on age.

Most of the companies discriminated against old job seekers by setting age limits at 30 or 40 while some ads restricted the applicable age to below 50, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it has given warnings in 24 cases and administrative orders in 74.

The present law against age discrimination, which came into force in March 2009, bans employers from stating age preferences or limitations on their job notices or advertisements.

Last year, the ministry detected 218 offences of the law out of 7,173 ads surveyed.

"The law is aimed at rooting out the discriminative practice at the workplace," said Kim Tae-han, a key official in charge of the employment of senior citizens at the ministry. "As our society is transferring to an aging society, we have to create a social atmosphere where every person can work as long as they want without age discrimination."

Article from Korean Times