POSCO’s cultural complex Park1538, first introduced in Pohang in 2021, has now officially opened in Gwangyang — this time under the name “Park1538 Gwangyang.” The facility officially opened on April 3 and began welcoming the general public on April 14. Park1538 Gwangyang consists of a promotional hall, art museum, and education center. Among them, the promotional hall is designed to fill the city of light, Gwangyang, with a wave of culture. Shall we explore the main highlights of Park1538 Gwangyang’s promotional hall together with the POSCO group Newsroom?
Park1538 Gwangyang draws attention with its dazzling exterior. In 2021, architect Yoon-kyu Jang of Unsangdong Architects designed the concept for both the promotional hall and the education center. POSCO A&C handled the detailed architectural design, while POSCO E&C was in charge of construction. From design to construction, from the exterior of the building to the materials used in artworks—POSCO Group’s technological expertise is embedded throughout.
The concept for the promotional hall is “Light Wave,” inspired by the name Gwangyang, which uses the Chinese characters (光, light; 陽, sunshine). It expresses the future that POSCO and the Gwangyang region will create together, symbolized by the light wave. The design reflects the unique qualities of steel—strong yet flexible—resulting in a one-of-a-kind building exterior. The outer cladding features PosMAC, POSCO’s premium corrosion-resistant steel, offering not only outstanding durability but also design elegance. Approximately 3,000 tons of POSCO steel—including PosMAC—were used for the building’s exterior, interior, and steel framework. In that sense, the promotional hall itself can be seen as a large-scale exhibition of POSCO’s steel products.
Now, let’s briefly turn our attention to the side. Outside the promotional hall stands a sculpture titled “Smart Light.” It was designed by German artist duo Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth, the creators of Space Walk in Pohang. The towering pieces resemble giant streetlights, each shaped differently, evoking various human postures. Made of POSCO stainless steel STS316, known for its strong corrosion and heat resistance, the artwork symbolizes the bond between POSCO and humanity. It feels as if the sculptures are greeting visitors with a warm welcome. Together with the curved surface of the promotional hall’s exterior, Smart Light adds a sense of movement and vitality to the space.
Now, let’s officially begin our tour! As you enter the first floor of the promotional hall, you’re welcomed by a massive media wall measuring 10 meters tall and 4 meters wide. Beyond this Welcome Wall, visitors step into the Immersive Theater, where they experience POSCO’s story of sustainable steel.
Inside the Immersive Theater, visitors experience the transformation of iron ore through a powerful four-sided projection mapping show. The journey begins as iron ore, the source of steel, combines with the four classical elements and is ultimately forged into steel. Steel continuously builds the world and returns to nature, completing an endless cycle. Through interactive video that responds to visitor movement, viewers feel as if they are directly participating in steel’s journey.
In the Theme Hall on the first floor, visitors can view the artwork “STAR” by artist Jeong-hwa Choi. Inspired by the dynamic boiling of iron at its melting point of 1,538°C, the sculpture is composed of 1,538 stainless steel spheres. Like the “Smart Light” sculpture outside the promotional hall, this piece is also made of POSCO STS316 stainless steel.
As you head up to the third floor of the promotional hall, you are greeted by the “Memory of Steel” History Zone. Here, visitors can explore POSCO’s bold challenge of building a steelworks from barren, undeveloped land—told through historical photographs, videos, and archival materials. From the early construction of the Pohang and Gwangyang Works to the present day, this exhibit highlights the strength and perseverance of POSCO’s journey.
While walking through the History Zone, visitors will also encounter “The People Who Make POSCO.” This interactive space allows visitors to search for current POSCO employees who are actively contributing to the company’s history. By entering the name of a current employee, their photo and department will appear on a large screen. It’s a fun and meaningful way to look up family members, friends, or colleagues who currently work at POSCO. In addition, a POSCO Hall of Honor is located within the same zone, where visitors can learn about individuals who have made significant contributions to the company’s growth and legacy.
Next, you enter the “Present of Steel” Steelmaking Process Zone. Here, working models of each production stage, along with synchronized video displays, offer a vivid and realistic experience of how steel is made. After passing through the vivid Steelmaking Process Zone that feels like stepping into a real steel plant, you enter the Transition Area, where ships loaded with POSCO’s steel cut through the sea and head out into the world.
You then continue to the “World of Steel” Product Display Zone. In the Product Display Zone, visitors can explore POSCO’s products and technologies applied in everyday life. In the first area, visitors encounter steel applied in various fields such as renewable energy, shipbuilding, energy terminals, and future smart cities.
In the second area, visitors can experience POSCO’s innovative steel up close. Visitors can watch a robot-arm performance that presents POSCO’s development of eco-friendly automotive steel and solutions—flagship products of Gwangyang Works.
The third area presents the uses of steel in everyday life—including home appliances, furniture, and objects made from PosART, stainless steel, and other specialty materials.
After completing the tour from the Beginning of Steel on the first floor to the Product Display Zones on the third floor, visitors are guided to the final destination—the “Vision of Steel” Vision Theater, where they can watch POSCO’s brand film. In this space, a panoramic wide screen measuring 15 meters in width and 3.93 meters in height delivers a vivid and immersive experience of the passion of POSCO employees, the birth of steel, and the convenient world made possible through steel. It also offers a glimpse into POSCO’s future, moving forward together with its stakeholders.
In the next article, Part 2, we’ll introduce the key highlights of the art museum and education center at Park1538 Gwangyang—so stay tuned!
