Chapter 1 General Provisions
Article 1 (Purpose)
These guidelines are intended to stipulate the necessary matters for the establishment and implementation of policies related to the protection and promotion of the human rights of executives, employees, and stakeholders of the Ulsan Credit Guarantee Foundation (hereinafter referred to as "the Foundation").
Article 2 (Definitions)
The terms used in these guidelines are defined as follows.
- "Human rights" refer to the dignity, value, freedom, and rights of individuals guaranteed by the Constitution and laws, or recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and other international human rights standards and norms.
- "Human rights violation" refers to acts infringing on human rights, such as workplace harassment, sexual harassment or violence, and discrimination.
- "Human rights management" means activities to prevent human rights violations by the company and to conduct human rights-friendly management, including the declaration of human rights policies, fulfillment of human rights implementation and monitoring duties, and provision of remedial procedures for victims.
- "Executives and employees" mean all executives and employees working at the Foundation, regardless of employment type.
- "Stakeholders" mean persons related to the Foundation’s business activities, including partner companies, customers, and local communities.
- "Partner companies" mean trading companies and tenants that have a cooperative or business relationship with the Foundation for supporting small businesses and small merchants.
Article 3 (Scope of Application)
Unless otherwise specified by other laws, regulations, or the Articles of Incorporation, matters related to the Foundation’s human rights management shall be governed by these guidelines.
Chapter 2 Human Rights Management Implementation
Article 4 (Basic Principles)
The Foundation supports and complies with international human rights standards and norms, including the UN Charter of Human Rights, ILO Core Conventions, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Article 5 (Prohibition of Discrimination in Employment)
The Foundation prohibits all forms of discrimination in employment based on gender, age, race, disability, religion, political orientation, place of origin, or any other grounds, and respects diversity.
Article 6 (Guarantee of the Three Labor Rights)
- The Foundation guarantees that workers may freely form labor unions and will not disadvantage them for joining or participating in union activities.
- The Foundation guarantees the right to collective bargaining through employee representatives to reach agreements on working conditions. The Foundation shall not refuse or neglect collective bargaining without just cause and shall respect and faithfully implement collective agreements.
- The Foundation provides the necessary information and support to employee representatives to carry out union activities.
Article 7 (Prohibition of Forced Labor and Child Labor)
The Foundation prohibits child labor and forced labor, and complies with all labor principles related to health, safety, and working hours as recommended by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and ratified by the State.
Article 8 (Safety and Health)
The Foundation creates a safe and healthy working environment to promote occupational safety and health.
Article 9 (Responsible Supply Chain Management)
The Foundation conducts transparent and fair transactions with all partner companies and takes precautions to prevent human rights violations within their operations.
Article 10 (Protection of Human Rights of Local Residents)
The Foundation ensures that the human rights of local residents are not violated within the communities where it operates.
Article 11 (Guarantee of Environmental Rights)
The Foundation complies with domestic and international environmental laws and regulations and strives to protect the environment and prevent pollution.
Article 12 (Protection of Customer Human Rights)
The Foundation strives to ensure customer satisfaction and protect personal information collected during business operations in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act and other relevant laws.
Article 13 (Women’s Rights and Maternity Protection)
The Foundation seeks to eliminate gender-discriminatory systems and practices in recruitment, promotion, and other processes, and strives to protect maternity rights and support work-life balance for female workers.
Article 14 (Protection of Employees’ Human Rights)
The Foundation bears the responsibility to actively protect the human rights of all employees, including their rights to dignity, health, and rest, and to create a friendly working environment.
Article 15 (Remedial Measures)
The Foundation provides prompt and appropriate remedies for human rights violations arising from its business activities and strives to prevent such violations in advance.
Chapter 3 Human Rights Management System
Article 16 (Human Rights Management Charter)
The Foundation proclaims a Human Rights Management Charter to guarantee human dignity and value in all business activities, and executives and employees shall regard the Charter as a code of conduct and a standard for value judgment in human rights management and practice it accordingly.
Article 16-2 (Collection of Stakeholders' Opinions)
When establishing or revising the Human Rights Management Charter, the Foundation shall gather opinions from internal stakeholders and vulnerable groups (such as women, persons with disabilities, and non-regular workers), as well as external stakeholders, via the Foundation’s website, meetings, or other means at least one month prior, and reflect those opinions in the Charter.
Article 17 (Human Rights Management Department)
- The Foundation operates a dedicated department for human rights management to systematically implement the development and execution of policies, education, and related initiatives to promote human rights.
- The responsibilities of the human rights management department are as follows.
- Matters concerning the establishment and implementation of the basic plan for human rights management
- Matters concerning the implementation of human rights education
- Matters concerning the implementation of human rights impact assessments
- Other matters deemed necessary by the Chairperson
Article 18 (Basic Plan for Human Rights Management)
- The Foundation shall annually establish a human rights management plan that includes the following
- Objectives and direction of human rights management
- Key tasks and implementation strategies for human rights management
- Plans for conducting human rights impact assessments and education
- Other necessary matters for the protection and promotion of human rights
- The Chairperson shall endeavor to collect and reflect stakeholder opinions when establishing the plan.
Article 19 (Human Rights Education)
The Foundation shall provide human rights-related education to all executives and employees at least once a year.
- The education may be conducted via online courses, in-person sessions, or training materials, depending on timing and method.
- Human rights education may also be provided to stakeholders such as dispatched staff from external institutions and partner company employees.
Article 20 (Support for Human Rights Implementation Activities)
The Foundation may take necessary measures to protect human rights and promote their value, and may provide support to related institutions, organizations, or partner companies.
Article 21 (Disclosure of Information Related to Human Rights Management)
The Foundation shall regularly disclose information on human rights management through its website and other appropriate channels.
Chapter 4 Human Rights Management Committee
Article 22 (Establishment and Functions)
To deliberate on the following matters related to the protection and promotion of human rights for executives, employees, and stakeholders, the Foundation shall establish a Human Rights Management Committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee").
- Establishment of the basic human rights management plan
- Recommendations for human rights improvements
- Remedies for reported human rights violations
- Other necessary matters for the protection and promotion of human rights
Article 23 (Composition)
- The Committee shall consist of up to 10 members, including the Chairperson.
- The majority of the members, including the Chairperson, shall be external members.
- The composition is as follows:
- Chairperson: President of the Foundation
- Internal Members: Branch head of the labor union or a person recommended by the union, and head of the human rights management department
- External members: Individuals who represent stakeholders and possess extensive knowledge and experience in human rights, such as activists from human rights organizations, researchers, lawyers, labor attorneys, and human rights officers from local public institutions.
- One secretary shall be appointed to manage the Committee’s administrative affairs, and the human rights management officer shall serve as the secretary.
Article 24 (Meetings and Quorum)
- The Chairperson shall represent the Committee and oversee its operations.
- If the Chairperson is unable to perform duties due to unavoidable circumstances, a person designated in advance shall act on their behalf.
- The Committee meeting shall be convened with the attendance of a majority of its members, and resolutions shall be passed by a majority vote of the attending members. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson shall have the casting vote.
- In principle, the Committee shall convene in person. However, for minor or urgent matters, resolutions may be made through written deliberation.
- The secretary shall prepare and preserve the minutes of the Committee meetings.
- Committee members attending the meeting may be paid an allowance within the scope of the budget. However, internal members shall not receive such payment.
Article 25 (Convening)
The Committee shall convene a regular meeting once a year, and may hold an extraordinary meeting if deemed necessary by the Chairperson or upon the request of one-third or more of the total members.
Article 26 (Hearing of Opinions and Request for Materials)
- The Committee may, if necessary, require the attendance of relevant parties or stakeholders to hear their opinions on agenda items.
- The Committee may, if necessary, request submission of relevant materials from departments or stakeholders related to the agenda items.
Article 27 (Confidentiality)
Persons attending the Committee meetings shall sign the confidentiality agreement [Annex] 2 and shall not disclose any confidential information acquired in the course of their duties.
Article 28 (Avoidance of Conflict of Interest)
The Committee shall exclude members who have a conflict of interest in a specific agenda item from its deliberation. Such members shall voluntarily recuse themselves or submit a request for disqualification.
Article 29 (Term of Committee Members)
The term of a Committee member shall be two years and may be renewed once. The term of internal members shall correspond to their term in the respective position.
Article 30 (Dismissal of Committee Members)
The Foundation may dismiss a Committee member before the expiration of the term if they fall under any of the following circumstances.
- Failure to perform duties faithfully
- Disclosure of confidential information obtained through duties
- Unable to perform duties due to illness or similar reasons
- Involvement in a human rights violation
- When the external member’s position at the time of appointment has changed
- Other cases where the member is deemed unfit due to damage to dignity, etc.
Chapter 5 Human Rights Impact Assessment
Article 31 (Human Rights Impact Assessment)
The Foundation shall conduct human rights impact assessments as necessary, as part of its duty to implement and monitor human rights practices.
Article 32 (Implementation and Reporting of Human Rights Impact Assessment)
The Foundation may conduct human rights impact assessments in the following cases.
- The Foundation may conduct human rights impact assessments on matters that affect the human rights of executives, employees, and stakeholders, such as institutional operations and major projects.
- If the Foundation deems that the regulations or policies to be enacted or formulated by the Chairperson may significantly affect the human rights of stakeholders, including executives and employees, it may request the Chairperson to conduct a human rights impact assessment.
- The department in charge of human rights management shall oversee the human rights impact assessment and may request relevant materials from each department.
- The human rights impact assessment may be entrusted to and implemented by an external specialized agency.
- The specific procedures and methods for the human rights impact assessment shall be determined and implemented in accordance with a separate plan depending on the matter.
- The human rights impact assessment shall be conducted effectively by using both checklists and interview surveys, actively reflecting the opinions of vulnerable groups (such as women and non-regular workers), and identifying “key human rights issues” through a materiality assessment.
Chapter 6 Remedy for Human Rights Violations
Article 33 (Procedures for Remedying Human Rights Violations)
- Anyone who has suffered a human rights violation or becomes aware of such a violation against another person may report it to the department in charge of human rights management.
- Upon the reporter's request, the department in charge of human rights management shall report the matter to the Chairperson, who may then present it to the Committee for deliberation on remedial procedures or refer it to the relevant department.
- The Committee may recommend the perpetrator to cease the violation, request disciplinary action pursuant to the Foundation’s regulations, or report the case to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea or investigative agencies.
Article 34 (Consultation on Human Rights Violations)
- If executives or employees are unsure whether an action violates this guideline during the course of their duties, they may consult the Human Rights Management Committee.
- The head of the department in charge of human rights management shall promptly conduct consultations and investigations upon identifying or receiving a report of a human rights violation. The investigation shall be conducted by the audit team leader.
- The investigation shall be completed within 20 days from the date of receipt. In special cases, the investigation period may be extended by up to 10 days.
- If the matter under investigation is being processed by investigative agencies under relevant laws, or the victim clearly does not wish the investigation to proceed, the investigation may be halted.
- The Foundation shall take necessary measures such as establishing communication channels and consultation rooms to facilitate such consultations.
Article 35 (Protection of the Reporter’s Identity and Status)
- The department in charge of human rights management, investigators, and committee members shall ensure the confidentiality of the reporter’s identity and take necessary measures to prevent any disadvantage due to the report. The following forms of unfair treatment are prohibited against the victim, reporter, supporter, or agent due to consultation, filing of a complaint, or cooperation:
- Dismissal, termination, or other disadvantages resulting in loss of employment status
- Disciplinary actions such as suspension, salary reduction, demotion, or denial of promotion
- Exclusion from duties, reassignment, or other personnel actions against the individual’s will
- Discrimination in performance or peer evaluations, and resulting discriminatory pay or bonuses
- Restriction of opportunities for training and professional development
- Acts of bullying, assault, or verbal abuse that cause mental or physical harm, or tolerating such acts
- Any other disadvantageous treatment against the will of the victim or those cooperating with the investigation
- The Chairperson shall protect the personal safety of the victim and complainant by separating the offender from shared duties or workspaces based on their wishes.
- Personnel measures may be taken against the offender to prevent further violations, and the victim’s right to work and study must be protected.
- Except when necessary for investigation and processing, those who become aware of the matter in the course of duty shall not disclose the identities or details of the parties involved.
Chapter 7 Supplementary Provisions
Article 36 (Others)
Matters not specified in this guideline shall be governed by relevant laws and the Foundation’s regulations.