SEOUL - SOUTH Korea, one of the world's fastest ageing societies, is to ban age discrimination against job seekers, a human rights watchdog said on Tuesday.

Under the law, which takes effect on Sunday, companies found guilty of ageist recruitment policies will be liable to a fine of up to 30 million won (S$32,000), the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement.

'Work places that discriminate against job seekers on grounds of their age will be hit by fines by the Labour Ministry,' it said.

Any job advertisements setting age limits for applicants, or questions concerning their ages during job interviews, will be in breach of the new regulations, the commission added.

South Korea has one of the world's lowest birthrates and is moving towards becoming an aged society. The National Statistical Office says the over-65s accounted for 10 per cent of the population last year, up from seven per cent in 2000.

An old employment law also banned age discrimination but stipulated no penalties.

In 2006 the rights watchdog urged Korean Air and Asiana to drop their policy of hiring hiring flight attendants aged under 25. They later complied. -- AFP