Nice shirt, dress shoes, no civil service? Interview guideline meant to promote comfort sparks debate.

As the rest of the world is debating whether it's rude to bring iced coffee to an interview, in Korea, the debate is stepping in a different direction: women's heels.

The Ministry of Personnel Management issued a new interview dress code guideline last month that discouraged all applicants from dressing up, prohibiting neckties and dress shoes, including women’s heels. Applicants who arrive in dress shoes will be asked to wear shoe covers, and those in neckties will be asked to take them off.

Instead, the guideline encourages applicants to wear neat casual attire, listing sweaters, jackets, cardigans, shirts, knitwear, slacks, jeans, flats and sneakers as examples.

“We have consistently recommended that applicants wear comfortable clothing that allows them to perform at their best, but most still attend interviews in formal attire, creating an overly formal atmosphere, while the sound of dress shoes can disrupt the interview process,” the ministry stated regarding its guideline.

“We are therefore reiterating our recommendation that applicants dress casually to ease the burden on them and create a more comfortable and relaxed interview environment.”

The ministry's efforts to encourage comfort, however, have been met with griping online.

“They’re telling us to come in jeans, a shirt and clean sneakers that don’t stand out, but I think it would just be easier to wear a suit,” one person wrote.

Another said, “I guess I’ll have to buy new clothes.”

“It’s actually harder,” one comment read.

The government guidelines became the subject of debate during a parliamentary audit on government bodies held on Wednesday.

“I fully understand the idea of simplifying interview attire,” Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Youn Kun-young said. “But isn’t there something wrong with the idea of making someone wear shoe covers during an interview just because they came in a suit and dress shoes? It’s turning into something of a comedy.”

Personnel Management Minister Tschoe Dong-seok said the move was inevitable, citing female interviewees as an example.

“Female applicants come in full makeup, suits and high heels, but the interview sites are neither carpeted nor equipped to minimize noise,” the minister said. “The idea was to tell applicants to avoid dress shoes if possible, and if they do wear them, we’ll provide shoe covers to keep the noise down.”

Tschoe also stressed that providing shoe covers was not introduced for the first time this year.

“We’ve been doing it every year,” he said. “We’ve repeatedly advised applicants not to wear dress shoes, but they continue to do so, causing inconvenience to others.”

“It’s a testing site. A testing site,” he reiterated.

Rep. Youn pushed back against Tschoe’s explanation.

“The idea that wearing high heels inconveniences others is simply beyond common sense,” Rep. Youn said. “Are people not allowed to wear high heels at a testing site?”

DP Rep. Kim Young-jin, chair of the Public Administration and Security Committee, asked the Personnel Ministry to review the facts, including when the shoe cover policy was first introduced, and report back.

The controversy comes after a different debate over job interview etiquette erupted in the United States last month: whether bringing iced coffee to an interview is rude.

The debate began with a TikTok video in which recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen said she often sees Gen Z applicants arrive at interviews carrying iced coffee or iced lattes.

She argued that showing up with such a drink could come across as unprofessional, making the interview appear to be “a stop on a list of errands for the day.” The comments sparked a generational debate online, with some calling the practice “disrespectful” while others argued that carrying a drink should not matter if an applicant is otherwise qualified.

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]