More Women Reach Executive Positions in Top 100 Firms

The number of women in executive positions in Korea's top 100 businesses has surpassed 100 for the first time.

Head-hunting agency Unico Search counted 114 female executives in 33 companies, up 50 percent from 2011. The firm counted only women in positions above director or assistant director as of Feb. 15 and did not include members of the owner families.

KT had the most women executives with 26, up from 18 in 2011. Next came Samsung Electronics with 22, up from 13, Korean Air with 7, Amore Pacific with 6, Cheil Industries with 5, SK Networks with 4, and Kolon Industries, Hyosung and Hanwha Investment Securities with 3 each.

The total number of female executives has risen from 13 in 10 companies in 2004 but still remains way behind the international average.

"As more and more women aspire to executive positions, we will see a quantum leap over the next five or six years," said Han Sang-shin at Unico Search.

The biggest group of women executives graduated from Ewha Womans University with 16, followed by Seoul National University (13), Yonsei University (10), Korea University (6), Sogang University (5) and Kyungpook National University, Duksung Women's University and Chungnam National University (3).