Tag: Korean women

North Korea Introduces 5 Year Mandatory Military Service Requirement for Women

| February 3, 2015

Due to the famine of the 1990’s North Korea is now requiring all females after finishing high school to serve 5 years in the military:

North Korea is making military service mandatory for young women in a bid to strengthen the nation’s armed forces, sources inside the secretive state have told DailyNK.

The measure is said to apply to women aged between 17 and 20, and has been handed down to mobilisation offices in each province, city, and county. Implementation is reported to be already underway.

“Late last year, we received orders for all women who have graduated from middle and high school to undergo mandatory military service,” a source based in North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK this week.  [The Guardian]

You can read the rest at the link, but women have to serve 5 years and men still have to serve 10 years.

Lotte Promotes First Two Women As Department Store Managers

| January 29, 2015

It is hard to believe there has never been a woman in charge of one of Lotte’s Department stores until now:

Although women play a limited role in management at conglomerates, their presence is slowly growing. Lotte Department Store named two female department store managers on Monday.

Women have headed smaller stores and outlet malls for the group before, but none have ever been put in charge of a department store branch.

Promoting the two women reflects Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin’s announcement last year that he would put more women in higher positions.

Lee Min-sook will be the chief manager of Lotte Department Store in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, while Lee Joo-young will take the top position at the Ansan branch in Gyeonggi.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.