Samsung Electronics plans to include a foreigner and a female member on its board of directors. 

The electronics giant convened a board meeting on Friday and decided to include the selection of new members in the agenda for the next general shareholders’ meeting slated for March 23rd. 

Three figures were recommended for two seats on the board that will become vacant next month: Jeong H. Kim, chairman of the U.S. mobile applications firm Kiswe Mobile, Ewha Womans University Professor Kim Sun-wook and Seoul National University Professor Park Byung-gook. 

With the recommendation, Samsung’s board will see the number of its outside directors climb from five to six. It is rare for the board to include the chief executive of a foreign company and a woman. 

Attention had been drawn to whether Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong would attend the first board meeting since his release from prison on a suspended sentence, but he was absent.