After snub from British Ambassador, S. Korea govt adds more women to panel

SEOUL: South Korea's Unification Ministry has added more women as panellists for an upcoming security policy forum after Britain's top envoy snubbed the event due to a skewed representation of female speakers.

The ministry added six female experts to the list of panellists for the Global Korea Forum, scheduled for Tuesday, according to the event's website on Friday reported Yonhap news agency.

This brings the total number of female speakers to seven out of the now 27 panellists.

The hasty move came as the British Embassy in Seoul announced that Ambassador Colin Crooks would not participate in the forum, voicing concern over the lack of gender diversity among the panellists.

The ministry said it had contacted many experts, regardless of gender or nationality, but the panel ended up being all male because all the women professionals were unable to attend.

But soon after Crooks' announcement, the Ministry added one woman and two other men to the panel.

The ministry appears to have decided to add several more female panellists as Crooks' withdrawal from the forum quickly made media headlines.

The Global Korea Forum, hosted by the Unification Ministry, is an annual forum on the security and policy regarding the Korean Peninsula. This year's theme is "Unified Korean Peninsula for Freedom, Peace and Prosperity."