The ratio of female executives at South Korea’s top conglomerates reached 1.5 percent, data showed Wednesday, raising concerns over the severe gender imbalance in the local firms’ C-suite.

Women accounted for 77 of the total 5,201 executives at 94 affiliates of the country’s 10 major business groups as of Friday, according to the data compiled by research firm CEO Score.

Samsung Group, South Korea’s top conglomerate, employed 39 high-ranking female officials, accounting for more than half of the total number of executives. LG Group followed suit with 12 female executives.

SK Group, the country’s third-largest conglomerate, employed six female executives. Hanwha Group also employed six female executives, the data added.

Meanwhile, Hanjin Group, the 10th-largest business group, employed the highest ratio of female executives, with women accounting for 3.7 percent, or seven out of 190 high-ranking officials in the group.

Lotte Group, South Korea’s largest retail conglomerate, employed only three women executives, although it boasted the highest ratio of females on staff, which accounted for 50.9 percent of its total employees. (Yonhap News)