Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's renowned tech giant, emerged as the leader among local companies in terms of the number of female executives this year. A survey by a local head-hunting firm revealed this trend, highlighting the progressive steps taken by Samsung in gender representation at the executive level. According to Yonhap News Agency, the survey conducted by Unico Search Inc. assessed the top 100 companies in South Korea by sales, focusing on their female executive representation in 2024. Samsung Electronics topped the list with 81 female executives. It was followed by CJ Cheiljedang Corp. and Naver Corp., each with 26 female executives, Hyundai Motor Co. with 20, Amorepacific Corp. with 16, and both Lotte Shopping Co. and LG Electronics Inc. with 14 female executives each. The survey further revealed that the total number of female executives within these top 100 firms increased to 463 this year, up from 439 the previous year. While Samsung Electronics led in absolute numbers, Amorepa cific was noted for having the highest ratio of female executives, with its 16 female leaders comprising 28 percent of its executive team. This was followed by CJ Cheiljedang at 23 percent, Naver at 19.7 percent, and Lotte Shopping at 16 percent. In a broader context, the ratio of female executives across all 100 surveyed firms showed a steady increase, rising to 6.3 percent this year from 6 percent last year, continuing an upward trend from 5.6 percent in 2022 and 4.8 percent in 2021.