Britain's Princess Anne calls for stronger support for women leaders in Korea

Britain’s Princess Anne said highly qualified women in South Korea need greater confidence, stronger networks and sustained support to move into leadership roles, as she attended the launch of a British-backed career development program in Seoul on Wednesday.

The Princess Royal and younger sister of King Charles III joined a reception for the fourth cohort of the Empower Program at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, meeting women from science, technology, engineering, mathematics and other fields.

“However competent you get at a subject, being a little bit higher up the order in terms of the business or the relationships also requires a step up in a different sort of confidence,” she told participants.

Princess Anne said the women were already qualified to advance, but moving into senior roles required support beyond technical expertise.

“You are more than well qualified for the next steps,” she said, adding that confidence could be gained quickly but also lost easily.

She said mentoring, peer networks and access to senior leaders could help women sustain that confidence and overcome barriers to advancement.

“If this cohort of Empower helps you to get past that stage, to give you the confidence to move on, then it is doing exactly” what the program was designed to achieve, she said.

Launched in 2023, Empower is a yearlong leadership program run by the British Embassy Seoul and the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea with the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Center.

It supports midcareer women through workshops, mentoring, networking and access to senior leaders, while helping them promote gender equality and inclusive leadership in their workplaces.

Her visit marked her first trip to Korea since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. During the three-day stay, she attended events highlighting bilateral cooperation in veterans affairs, defense, advanced industries and fashion, and held a private meeting with President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday.

She also visited technology facilities, including a Hyundai Motor-backed future mobility laboratory and an SK hynix semiconductor minifab at Korea University, accompanied by her husband, Vice Adm. Sir Timothy Laurence.

She was scheduled to depart for Bangkok on Thursday.