South Korea has become a global powerhouse in semiconductors, automobiles and consumer electronics, but women remain largely absent from the executive ranks of its biggest corporations. Despite years of economic growth and international expansion, women hold just 6.6% of executive positions at the country’s 100 largest publicly traded companies.
The disparity extends across an economy closely connected to American technology companies, consumers and investors. South Korean giants such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and SK Hynix compete in industries central to the global economy, yet the country’s corporate leadership remains overwhelmingly male.
A report released Monday by the Korea CXO Institute, a South Korean corporate research firm, found that the number of female executives reached a record 491 in 2026, up 15, or 3.2%, from the previous year. Despite that increase, women gained just 0.1 percentage point in their share of executive positions.
The figures reveal how slowly gender representation is changing at the top of corporate South Korea. Women accounted for 6.3% of executives in both 2023 and 2024, rising to 6.5% in 2025 and 6.6% this year. Men still occupy more than 93% of executive positions at the companies surveyed.
The imbalance persists even as more businesses appoint women to senior leadership roles. This year, 81 of the 100 companies had at least one female executive, up from 79 last year and surpassing 80 for the first time.
Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker and a major smartphone manufacturer, had the highest number of female executives at 80. Naver, South Korea’s leading internet search company, followed with 28, while Hyundai Motor, which has an extensive presence in the U.S. automotive market, reported 22.
Other major corporations also showed varying levels of female representation. CJ CheilJedang, a South Korean food and biotechnology company, had 21 female executives, followed by construction and trading company Samsung C&T with 18 and financial services firm Mirae Asset Securities with 16.
LG Electronics and chemical producer LG Chem each reported 13 female executives, while semiconductor manufacturer SK Hynix and energy company SK Innovation each had 11.
Some of the largest increases came from companies operating in globally important industries. Samsung C&T added six female executives over the past year, bringing its total to 18, while SK Hynix increased its count from six to 11.
The findings are based on first half regulatory filings from South Korea’s 100 largest publicly traded companies, ranked by revenue in 2025. The study included registered inside directors, nonregistered executives and members of controlling families, but excluded outside directors.
The results highlight a striking contrast in one of the world’s leading industrial economies. South Korean corporations have established themselves as formidable competitors in global markets, yet their executive ranks have seen little change in gender representation over four consecutive years.
Even with a record number of women reaching executive positions, the country’s largest corporations remain far from achieving balanced representation at the top.
