Hundreds of Korean female leaders around the globe in various fields will gather in South Korea this week to discuss the role of women in the fast-changing age of information technology, the government said Sunday.

The 17th Korean Women's International Network, organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, has invited some 620 women leaders from 32 countries who are credited with spearheading their own professional fields and being exemplary role models, the ministry said.

This year's two-day event will be held at the Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, located some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, Wednesday-Thursday. Through various sessions and round tables, participants will discuss issues regarding gender implications in the age of the "fourth industrial revolution" and means to better nurture a stronger female workforce in a changing economy.

Some notable attendees include Myong Chung, fellow engineer at the American aerospace and defense technology firm Northrop Grumman; Nam Myung-ho, medical director at the nonprofit Inova Health System in the US; and Hyeryun Lee Park, head of Lotus Lantern Books.

Launched in 2001, KOWIN is designed to raise national competitiveness and local development by bolstering solidarity and exchanges between local and overseas female leaders and nurturing future female resources. (Yonhap)