The number of female executives at South Korea’s top 100 listed companies reached a record 476 this year, according to a report by headhunting firm UnicoSearch. Among these firms, 79 have at least one female board member, with Samsung Electronics leading at 80 female executives.

The figure represents a 2.8 percent increase from 463 in 2024. Though the total number of executives across the top 100 firms fell by 1.3 percent (98 people) year-on-year, the number of female executives still rose by 13. The survey covered the top 100 listed companies by sales, using data from their semi-annual reports.

The report highlighted steady progress over the past two decades. Female executives numbered just 13 in 2004, surpassed 100 in 2013 and have increased almost every year since, except for a brief dip in 2014.

The number of companies with female executives also grew from 10 in 2004 to 37 in 2015, 60 in 2020 and 79 in 2025, reflecting South Korea’s gradual but ongoing improvement in gender diversity at the executive level.


don@heraldcorp.com