Park Geun-hye Elected as Korea's 18th President in Male Dominated Society

There are a great number of female leaders around the world, but the win by Park Geun-hye on election night holds special meaning here in Korea.
Korean society has long been dominated by men.
And although the nation will be led by a female for the first time ever, experts say that there is still a long way to go.


[Interview : Kim Won-hong, Lead Researcher
Korean Women's Development Institute] "In the last few decades, especially compared to the '80s…Korean society has improved in gender equality issues. But there is still a lot of room for improvement."

In a recent report released by the OECD, Korea has the largest income gap between men and women among the 28 advanced nations surveyed.
Adding to that, the World Economic Forum ranked Korea in the bottom third for gender equality, at 108th out of 135 developed economies.

In the political world, only 48 of the 299 lawmakers in Korea's National Assembly are female.
The number is rising at a slow pace compared to other OECD countries.

Park's supporters are saying that Park will make way for greater opportunities for women in Korea.
Park is the daughter of late President Park Chung-hee, who was the first president to stabilize the livelihoods of the people following the Korean War, albeit at the price of human rights.
Many people hope that President-elect Park will help narrow the gender gap and bring about true change in the political arena.