Human Rights Commission Criticizes Age Limit for Cultural Tour Guides in Hadong

The Hadong County government in South Korea has rejected a recommendation from the National Human Rights Commission to lift the age limit of 70 for cultural tourism guides. The county argues that older guides often struggle to keep pace with tourists in mountainous areas like Jirisan's Cheonghakdong. Since January 1, 2024, Hadong has enforced this age restriction, which has drawn criticism from guides who have served for 7 to 16 years and have filed complaints with the commission. The commission's Discrimination Correction Committee stated that limiting guides based on age is unreasonable and discriminatory, highlighting that older guides possess valuable experience regarding local history and culture. Some regions even have guides over 75 actively working. In response, Hadong County cited complaints about older guides lagging behind tourists on uphill trails as justification for the age limit. The commission suggested that fitness and guiding abilities could be assessed through health checks rather than imposing a blanket age restriction. However, Hadong County defended its stance, claiming that all members of the Hadong Guide Association, including the complainants, agreed to the age limit, which they assert has been recognized as a model by other local governments. The commission has previously urged four other local governments to revise similar age restrictions in 2010, 2011, and 2015, all of which complied with the recommendations.