Seoul, South Korea - The number of female executives at South Korea's top 100 companies has reached a record high of 463, according to a recent survey conducted by global headhunting firm Unico Search.

The survey, released on November 11th, analyzed the executive positions of the 100 largest companies in South Korea. The results revealed that the number of female executives has increased by 24 (5.5%) compared to the previous year, reaching a new high. Furthermore, the number has more than quadrupled since 2004 when there were only 13 female executives among the top 100 companies.

Women now account for 6.3% of all executive positions at these companies. This represents a significant increase from 3.5% in 2019, 4.1% in 2020, 4.8% in 2021, and 5.6% in 2022.

The number of companies with female executives has also been steadily rising. In 2024, 74 out of the 100 largest companies had at least one female executive, marking a new record.

Samsung Electronics had the highest number of female executives with 81, followed by CJ CheilJedang and Naver with 26 each, Hyundai Motor with 20, AmorePacific with 16, and Lotte Shopping and LG Electronics with 14 each.

Among the companies with more than 10 female executives, AmorePacific had the highest proportion of female executives at 28.1% (16 out of 57). Other companies with a high percentage of female executives included CJ CheilJedang (23.4%), Naver (19.7%), Lotte Shopping (15.9%), KT (12.8%), and LG Chem (10.4%).

There were four female CEOs among the top 100 companies: Lee Boo-jin of Hotel Shilla, Choi Yeon-hye of Korea Gas Corporation, Choi Soo-yeon of Naver, and Lee Jung-ae of LG Household & Health Care.

Of the 463 female executives, 409 were born in 1970 or later, accounting for 88.3%. Among those, the largest number (50) were born in 1973.

This data indicates a positive trend towards gender diversity in South Korea's corporate sector, although there is still room for improvement.

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