Abstract
Lee offers an overview of women’s numerical and substantive political representation in South Korea. Since women’s suffrage in 1948 and electing the first female legislator the following year, the share of women in the National Assembly has grown steadily and slowly. This chapter briefly examines how women gained suffrage before outlining the trend in numerical representation of women at the national level. After discussing the reasons for the adoption and effects of the gender quota and comparing the political and biographical background of the elected legislators, the chapter assesses the impact of women’s presence in the national legislature by examining all the women-friendly bill sponsorship activities between 2000 and 2016.