Among the latest Masters was Chajin Kim, a man who has earned a legendary reputation for his work in the POSCO furnaces.

From Poverty to POSCO

Master Kim was born in 1958, at a time when Korea was still recovering from a devastating civil war. Growing up in the countryside near Gyeongju, in the southeast of Korea, his family often struggled just to put enough food on the table. His father had gone to Japan at the age of 19 to work in an iron works, and when he returned to Korea he had a hard time readjusting. To help the family out, Kim had to gather firewood when he was in fourth grade, carrying huge bundles of wood to sell during the day, then working late into the night on his school work.

Thanks to his great work ethic, though, Kim was able to go to Gyeongju Technical High School, which helped prepare him for a career where he could use his hands and his endless diligence. He soon began to take notice of one particularly enticing option – POSCO. Then called Pohang Iron & Steel, POSCO was located relatively close to his hometown, and back in the 1960s and ’70s it was one of Korea most prestigious and fast-growing companies.

Upon starting at POSCO, Kim was surprised at more than just the size of the company. The quality of the employee meals were a revelation, too, with plenty of high-quality rice and a rich array of dishes. “When I saw that, I wanted to spend my whole life at POSCO,” he recalls.

Hard Work, Big Machines

Repair and maintenance in a blast furnace can be tough work. It involves huge metal machines, and moving a piece just a few millimeters can require hitting them repeatedly with a big sledgehammer. But Kim was used to working hard from an early age, so he never complained; he just got to work.

Kim told a story that illustrated his focus on always putting 100 percent into his job. “We had a policy that you can get new safety shoes after a certain period of time, but you need to show your worn-out shoes to your supervisor to get approval,” he says. “However, my shoes kept wearing out so quickly, one day my supervisor told me that I was allowed to just change my shoes any time I wanted, without limit.”

That dedication also led to promotions. In fact, he earned so many promotions so much faster than usual, that a manager once had to go to his home during Chuseok (a major autumn holiday in Korea, like Thanksgiving). The manager was tasked with doing a thorough check on Kim, because he was supposed to be too young for that promotion.

Dedicated to Innovating

As Kim rose up the ranks and got better and better at his job, it sometimes led to friction, too. He wanted to make the machines as safe and efficient as possible, rather than just making the same repairs over and over again. For example, with the pig casting machines, the round bar on the safety gap equipment used to need replacing about once every four days because the heat would cause the bar to bend. But Kim got the idea of changing the round bar to a square one, which was about 20 times stronger. He also came up with an easier way of making the change. Kim’s innovation passed a stringent set of tests, and POSCO was so pleased that it sent Kim and his whole family on a special vacation.

Kim also has long been concerned with workplace safety. He used to see about 20 accidents each month at his worksite. But as a result of improving processes and machinery, that rate dropped to just one accident a month. Other proposals and patents earned him a series of awards and certifications. Between 2002 and 2006 along, he earned five third-class improvements and five patents.

“Even though the machinery is not alive, if you give it your love and attention, it gives you better results,” he says. “You can tell machines recognize the small and warmth of people because the devices that people take care of don’t break down. You may not believe it, but I do. I’m sure of one thing: the equipment never lies.”

Earning the Title ‘Master’

Despite earning the prestigious title of “Master,” Kim remains focused on modestly doing his job. “To be honest, I am not that smart or flexible,” he says. “What I am good at is limited – where I can add value to my job. That’s why I always need to be focused and at my best to perform well, even if that means getting less sleep.”

Kim finds joy in simple luxuries: buying a nice car for his mother, along with a little more farm land for his family. He has also lived in the same villa provided by POSCO for 26 years.

“I have become the POSCO Master of Korea thanks to the help of my coworkers and the equipment of the blast furnace plant. I was lucky to work here. I will keep working hard and never forget the moment I became a Master.”

Now that Chajin Kim is a POSCO Master of Korea, we look forward to learning from his lifetime of expertise. Master Kim’s know-how makes him a mentor that can help lead POSCO into an even brighter future.

Meet the Newest POSCO Masters of Korea

Always Remembering the Big Picture: POSCO Master of Korea Sungnam Kim

Never Afraid of Failure: POSCO Master of Korea Seungcheol Shin

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Each had to pass a difficult series of tests, including an in-depth cross-examination by the technology experts committee. But the rewards of being selection a master were significant – winners get a gift card for overseas travel and other rewards, but most importantly is the prestige that comes from having their expertise recognized by their peers. Masters become mentors for the next generation of engineers, helping to develop new technology and pass along their know-how to others.

The POSCO Master of Korea program was also created to improve POSCO’s organizational culture, providing realistic role models to other engineers. It is designed to raise competitiveness within the company by developing POSCO’s technology and technical expertise.

Emphasizing Training and Education

Because technology lies at the heart of nearly everything POSCO does, forming the heart of the company’s competitiveness, POSCO has long emphasized the technical training of its employees.

For instance, the company has five Technical Levels (TL), and every November engineers get the chance to take a level test and demonstrate their growing capacity. Departments also require mandatory certification to ensure their tasks are being properly implemented, and POSCO provides incentives to congratulate engineers after they acquire those certificates.

POSCO also offers personalized education programs, like e-learning modules, as well as incentives for technology development. In addition, POSCO maintains an apprentice system so junior engineers are always learning skills and know-how from the company’s top veterans.

The Original Masters

Four engineers were selected in the first year the POSCO Masters of Korea were selected. Byungrak Son in the Electric Motor Technology Department became an expert in electrical engineers after starting with POSCO in 1977.

Gildong Cho joined POSCO in 1982 in the Pohang 2 steel mill, and over the years contributed many advanced proposals and patents that improved POSCO’s products.

Youngguk Kwon is a two-time winner of the Steelmaking Technology Award, having been recognized for improving endless hot rolling and whole plant engineering.

And finally, Youngki Cho became a master for his work in the POSCO furnaces, improving productivity and technology. He also contributed to developing winnower surveillance technology, which was the first to use cameras.

All four engineers were excellent examples of the excellence POSCO has to offer, setting a high standard for future POSCO Masters of Korea to follow.

3 New Masters for 2016

For 2016, three POSCO employees earned the Master of Korea designation: Chajin Kim of the blast furnace team, Sungnam Kim of the electrical installation team, and Seungcheol Shin of the automotive steel division.

Chajin Kim started with POSCO in 1976 and has become an expert engineer for the core maintenance system of the blast furnace. He established cooling functions for the maintenance of old blast furnaces and upgraded the process of blast furnace management. Most notably, in 2012 he made major cost reductions to optimizing the investment plan for the Pohang 3 blast furnace. Kim used to work so hard that he kept wearing out his safety shoes in record time, until the head of maintenance decided Kim could just get an unlimited supply of new safety shoes any time he wanted.

Sungnam Kim says that the most important qualification for engineers is field experience, much more than theory. When problems arise, he believes they need to be approached with genuine curiosity, and a determination not to avoid any difficulties. “Field work needs technical theory, but the real important thing is getting experience,” Kim said. “My technological know-how isn’t just about the technology, but my 30 years of experience.”

For Seungcheol Shin, who works in the annealing furnace, he has helped grow POSCO into an automotive steel specialist by decreasing thermal processing defects, an important part of what decides the final quality and strength of the product.

To learn more about POSCO’s dedicated experts, be sure to keep your eye on the POSCO INSIDE, as each of these new Masters of Korea will be profiled in-depth in the near future.

‘The Equipment Never Lies’: POSCO Master of Korea Chajin Kim

Always Remembering the Big Picture: POSCO Master of Korea Sungnam Kim

Never Afraid of Failure: POSCO Master of Korea Seungcheol Shin

Be sure you never miss any of the exciting steel stories from The Steel Wire by subscribing to our blog.