In spite of vast social developments following the miracle on the Han River, sexism remains deeply ingrained in all components of South Korean society. Perhaps the most blatant evidence of rampant gender inequality in the nation is its wide gender wage gap; as of 2016, Korean women received 40% less than their male counterparts -- the greatest gender wage gap among all OECD countries. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the country’s top conglomerates, including Hyundai, LG, and Samsung, do not possess a single woman on their board and it was only in 2013 when Kwon Seon-joo became the first woman to lead a Korean bank as the CEO of the Industrial Bank of Korea.
Gender Inequality
OECD Data of Wage Gap
by Katherine Yoon