hankyoreh

By Yu Sun-hui

“A” had a shocking experience recently when she sat for an employment examination for female flight attendants on the state-run Indonesian carrier Garuda Airlines. The airline instructed her and all the other applicants to strip to their underwear and submit to a health examination by a male physician.

“It was really embarrassing,” A said. “I was practically naked.”

“Even though I was humiliated, I could not protest under the circumstances” of the test, she added.

According to accounts from applicants and an official with the airline, Garuda received hundreds of applications after advertising for flight attendant positions in South Korea in late June. The company had been recruiting South Koreans for flight attendant positions. The airline conducted the physical examination in July after selecting a group of 100 or so applicants through a document screening and initial interview. Applicants underwent the examination dressed only in brassieres and underpants, with an Indonesian male doctor and female airline employee present.

In particular, the process included an examination in which the applicant removed her brassiere while covered in a blanket, lay down, and had her chest palpated with a medical instrument by the male doctor.

An official with Garuda Airlines explained that rigorous examinations are conducted to check for tattoos for religious reasons in Indonesia, a majority Muslim country. The official said the chest palpation was carried out because of the danger that women with breast implants could suffer health problems under circumstances of a drop in air pressure within the cabin during flight.

The official added that the procedure and its purpose were explained to the applicants, and that their consent was obtained before the examination.

“Although the procedures vary from airline to airline, physical examinations are a necessary process, and our branches in countries like Japan and Australia conduct similar examinations,” the official said.

But A said that she merely submitted to the examination because she was told it was a requirement for applicants, and that she did not receive information beforehand about what it would entail.

“Had I known what kind of examination it would be, I would not have agreed to it,” she said.

South Korean airlines called Garuda’s physical examination “unacceptable.” An official at one domestic carrier said, “During the hiring process, we measure an applicant’s swimming ability to see if he or she can help passengers in cases of emergency, but we did not have any physical examinations that involve feeling for breast implants.”

At another domestic airline, an official asked, “If there is a danger of health problems, then wouldn’t that mean you cannot let female passengers with breast implants on the plane?”

A said the problem is not restricted to Garuda Airlines.

“There have often been cases where foreign airlines have presented ridiculous conditions during the employment examination process, saying things like, ‘We have to check for tattoos while we are testing your swimming ability, so put on a bikini.’”

“The applicant is in a vulnerable position, so she really has to grin and bear it no matter how unpleasant it is,” A added.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]