POSCO invited Mexican veterans who participated in the Korean War and their bereaved families to Korea.

During the Korean War, Mexico provided humanitarian aid by sending food and medical supplies to South Korea under the principle of maintaining neutrality without intervening in or allied with the events of certain countries. In addition, about 100,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans, who are not official participants, participated in the war under the flags of the United Nations and the United States. Unfortunately, the gratitude message has been delayed for a long time, and POSCO has decided to invite the veterans and their bereaved families to Korea to honor their sacrifice and devotion.

POSCO invited a total of 18 Mexican veterans including three veterans and their families and arrived in Korea on the 26th of last month to visit the Yongsan War Memorial of Korea, a luncheon meeting at the POSCO Center, and a special tour of the Pohang Works. Afterward, they plan to visit the UN Veterans Memorial in Busan and the memorial of Operation Chromite during their seven nights and eight days of the journey.

▲ Mexican Veterans visiting the POSCO Center for Luncheon Meeting, Veterans: Alberto Fernández Almada, third from the left in the front row, Antonio Lozano Bustos, fourth from the left in the front row

Alberto Fernández Almada, a veteran who participated in the Pohang Works tour said, “I was impressed by the organically well-connected processes of the steelwork and Environmentally Conscious efforts such as water recycling.” “I am very happy to be able to tour the steelworks that led the steel industry in Korea, and it was a meaningful time to see the future competitiveness of the steel industry,” he added.

▲ Mexican Veterans visiting the Pohang Works for a specially invited tour

Soon-young Choi, Representative President of POSCO-Mexico, who promoted this visit said, “I express my infinite gratitude and respect for the invaluable dedication and sacrifice of Mexican veterans who came to Korea from 12,000 km away 72 years ago and protected freedom and peace. I hope that this visit will be a time for Mexican veterans to see the development of the Republic of Korea which was made by the dedication of veterans’ youth and feel proud of the valuable achievements and sacrifices made in the past.”

POSCO has delivered a tribute medal since 2013 to honor the invaluable sacrifice spirit of the Korean War veterans and express their gratitude under the corporate citizenship management philosophy and has been awarding a plaque of appreciation made of POSCO stainless steel since 2019. In particular, in 2020, POSCO delivered a plaque of appreciation to 3,700 veterans from 16 countries in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War and donated masks and hand sanitizers to overcome COVID-19. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Mexico, expanding the gratitude for participating in the Korean War to Mexican veterans.

Along with the invitation of Mexican veterans to visit Korea, POSCO also sponsors a special exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Korea and Mexico diplomatic relations, co-hosted by the Embassy of Mexico in Korea and the War Memorial of Korea. The exhibition titled ‘Mexicans and Mexican Americans: The Forgotten Soldiers of the Korean War’, to commemorate the sacrifice and dedication of Mexican veterans who were not widely known about their participation in the Korean War will be held from June 28 to September 25 in a special space in front of the UN Office on the 3rd floor of the Yongsan War Memorial of Korea. At the exhibition, you can see the relics of the veterans, such as documentary drawings drawn by the veterans and telegrams containing the news of their injuries, as well as the vivid stories of their participation in the war.

▲ Special Exhibition on 60th Anniversary of Korea-Mexico diplomatic relations, ‘Mexicans & Mexican Americans: The forgotten Soldiers of the Korean War’

Tak Jeong, president of POSCO, who attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on the 28th, said, “POSCO could become a representative steel company in Korea and the world thanks to the sacrifices and dedications of Mexican veterans here. I am so glad that we can express our gratitude before it is too late.”

▲ Tak Jeong, president of POSCO giving a welcome speech at the exhibition

Meanwhile, POSCO Group is operating five corporations in Mexico, including a manufacturing plant and processing center for cold-rolled products for automobiles and home appliances, contributing to the development of Mexico’s industry by creating more than 1,000 local jobs.

It is also active in social contribution activities for the Mexican community. POSCO-Mexico has obtained ESR (Empresa Socialmente Responsible) from Mexican government agencies for six consecutive years including this year, by providing talent education at the POSCO Hope Center, installing With POSCO bus stops using steel scraps, and raising funds for patients with incurable diseases by collecting plastic lids. POSCO plans to carry out various activities that coexist with the local community in Mexico as corporate citizenship that fulfills the social role and responsibility in the future.

We took a look at Space Walk, which had become a new landmark of Pohang, in the last episode, “Space Walk, What Are You?” Now that we have looked into the meaning of the work, we wonder how this winding and high sculpture was created. So today we will take a look at the birth story of Space Walk, from material to construction.

What on earth is the structure made of?

With a total track length of 333 m, width of 60 m, depth of 57 m, and height of 25 m, Space Walk boasts an enormous size, and its presence is obvious even from Yeongildae Beach far away. The total track length, 333 m, is a number that symbolizes coexistence, cooperation and the future of POSCO, Pohang, and the city’s citizens, and also refers to Pohang’s symbol 3S – Steel, Science, and Sea.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Space Walk, which was built for two years and seven months from April 1, 2019 to November 17, 2021, is a work for which all the capabilities and technologies of POSCO were mobilized. In addition to paying the manufacturing costs of the sculpture, POSCO organized a task force that executed the entire process from production to installation. POSCO A&C supervised while POSCO E&C produced and installed it.

POSCO’s steel that was used for Space Walk, it’s me! “329J3L, SM355A”

Space Walk weighs 317 tons (except for concrete and illumination) and was manufactured with 100% POSCO steel, and was planned to become a safe and robust structure by combining artistic and engineering elements considering the installation environment and various natural disasters. The first step in a sturdy structure is material!

Since the work is located on the coast, it needs to prevent corrosion caused by salt, and after reviewing and studying various materials that are safe from strong winds and earthquakes, a material called stainless steel 329J3L was applied to the sculpture. Stainless 329 is a very expensive stainless steel grade produced by POSCO and is much stronger against salt than STS 304 and STS 316, which are generally used on beaches.

▲ Space Walk is being built.

▲ 329J3L, POSCO’s steel material used in Space Walk

The steel tube used in the structure of the sculpture is SM355A, an advanced high strength steel product of POSCO. Considering the characteristics of the sculpture that was installed on a beach, it was finished with metal fluorine resin paint on galvanized steel to be maintained without corrosion even in a harsh beach environment.

Safety, the first step of design!

The core of the design for Space Walk can be said to be “safety.” Since it was a structure with a height of 25 m, the design of the basic concrete that supported it was important. The basic concrete that supported 25 pillars was connected using ground beams,* and 114 micro piles* that supported 85 tons per pile were additionally built.
* Ground beam: A beam that connects bases underground to prevent the movement or return trip of pillars
* Micro pile: A stake with a diameter of 300 mm or less used for the base of structures and foundation reinforcement that is reinforced with high-strength steel material.

Space Walk can endure a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 80 m/s because it was manufactured with a design wind speed of 67 m/s. Considering that the maximum instantaneous wind speed of Maemi, the strongest typhoon that has occurred in Korea, was 60 m/s, it was designed not to move an inch against fierce sea wind.

In addition, it was designed to have seismic grade 1 in terms of seismic load to endure a very strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale. Its seismic load is the same as that of Korean nuclear power plants. Thus, it can be said to be as strong against earthquakes as nuclear power plants.

Its step load, 500 kg/m², is the same as the load applied to rooftop rally places and gym stands, and up to seven adults can stand within 1m². Since it is actually difficult for even four adults to stand within 1m², the structure is very safe. Although it was designed for more than 1,500 people to stand on the whole track, an automatic blocking device works if the number of people standing exceeds 250, considering safety.

Its rail load is 5kN/m², which is a strength that occurs when 10 adults push at the same time. However, since it is actually difficult for even four adults to stand within 1m² as mentioned before, the rail cannot collapse no matter how strongly people push.

Precise construction that does not allow even an error of 0.5cm

It was very difficult to install an atypical form of a large structure bent and twisted in a 3D manner rather than a linear form. POSCO Group showed its technology that completed the construction of an ultra-large sculpture with a 333-meter length that is supported by 25 steel pillars with a maximum length of 30 m with a margin of error of 0.5 cm or less between the starting point and end point.

To increase precision, state-of-the-art technologies and equipment used for atypical structures such as a mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) layout solution, GPS and 3D scanning detection, and ultrasonic nondestructive testing were mobilized, and experts of POSCO participated to ensure preparation.

Space Walk is an enormous structure like a pedestrian overpass, but as it is also a work of art, and each part of the structure had to be finished manually like a sculpture. Attention was also paid to small details of the stairs of the structure to increase its value as a work of art and processing was performed manually in order for the structure to shine on a sunny day.

Today, we looked at the birth story of Space Walk from design to construction. Space Walk, which was created with perfect preparation, was donated to citizens as an experiential public art work.

“Space Walk is a sculpture that symbolizes the coexistence and harmony of POSCO and Pohang. We hope this will become a landmark that represents Korea with lots of love from citizens. After a museum for Pohang blast furnace 1, which will be closed, is completed, the sculpture and museum will contribute as new tourism contents in Pohang along with Park1538, a POSCO promotion center,” said Jeong-woo Choi, POSCO Group CEO.

We hope that Space Walk, which presents a new paradigm of domestic public art, will establish itself as a space that will bring new joy to Pohang citizens!

An unidentified structure appeared one day in Hwanho Park, which is a resting place for Pohang citizens where they can see the beautiful coastline, sunset, and a panoramic view of POSCO.  The citizens looked at the long curved rail and wondered if it was a roller coaster. On November 18, the identity of the structure was revealed. It is called “Space Walk.” It is a public work of art that POSCO made. Let’s take a look at this attractive work of art that stands high in Hwanho Park.

Space Walk unveiled on November 18

On November 18, an unveiling ceremony was held for Space Walk, an experiential sculpture that is the largest in Korea, with 70 or more related people including Jeong-woo Choi, POSCO Group CEO, Kang-deok Lee, Pohang Mayor, and the designers in attendance. It has been two years and seven months since an MOU with POSCO was signed in April 2019.

▲ POSCO and Pohang City held an unveiling ceremony for Space Walk, Korea’s largest experiential sculpture, in Hwanho Park on November 18. From the left is Soo-hee Nam, Head of Pohang Works, Won-joon Yang, Head of the Corporate Support Division, Seong-hee Han, President of POSCO E&C, Hag-dong Kim, Vice Chairman & POSCO CEO, artist Ulrich Genth, Jeong-woo Choi, POSCO Group CEO, Kang-deok Lee, Pohang Mayor, Kim Byeong-uk, National Assembly member, Jeong Hae-jong, Chairman of the Pohang City Council, Ik-hyeon Jeon, Pohang Steel Management Corporation President, and Tae-geon Yun, CEO of The Ton.

Jeong-woo Choi, POSCO Group CEO, Kang-deok Lee, Pohang Mayor, etc. participated in the unveiling ceremony and commemorated the launch of Space Walk, and the next day, Citizen Open Day was held with citizens, and the Talent Donation Corps participated and presented commemorative photos, busking, and calligraphy to Pohang citizens.

Experience of Walking on Space of Zero Gravity

Space Walk, which took two years and seven months from planning to completion, is an experiential artwork that visitors can walk on and appreciate the work and landscape. With Space Walk, visitors can have the experience of walking in space with zero gravity or on a cloud. Space Walk is nicknamed “cloud” because it looks like a cloud that is gently falling.

The total track length of Space Walk is 333 meters, and it is 60 meters wide, 57 meters long and 25 meters high, and has a smooth and magnificent shape with varying curves. Space Walk was manufactured with 100% POSCO steel and the capabilities and technologies of POSCO were fully mobilized for it.

The project of building a sculpture was promoted to contribute to the vitalization of the regional economy by making Pohang a tourist attraction as well as win-win cooperation with the local community after POSCO declared corporate citizens who develop together as a management philosophy in 2018.

On April 1, 2019, the 51st anniversary of POSCO’s foundation, POSCO and Pohang City signed an MOU to make Hwanho Park a tourist attraction with the installation of works of art of world-famous artists in Hwanho Park, which POSCO co-established with Pohang for its citizens in 2001.

POSCO and Pohang decided to build a work of art with steel to symbolize Pohang, which is rapidly growing with POSCO, and culture and art tourism contents, as a subject matter, and selected German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth through a public contest in June 2019.

“The project of building Space Walk can be said to be an exemplary case of a public art project that POSCO and Pohang cooperated on from planning to construction and executed by complying with the process by each step from signing an MOU to designing, collecting citizens’ opinions, manufacturing and installation,” said Dae-hyung Lee, former art director of the Venice Biennale.

Artists of Space Walk, Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth

Heike Mutter (1969) and Ulrich Genth (1971), who designed Space Walk, are German artists who majored in pure fine arts and media art and are internationally renowned for viewer participation art works and architectural sculptures.

Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth went to Pohang several times for the installation of Space Walk and visited various attractions such as Pohang Works, Jukdo Market, and Sunrise Park and communicated with Pohang citizens and met local historians to get to know the city. Based on this experience, they completed eight designs that interpreted Pohang’s culture and the characteristics of citizens, and the final design was decided in communication with an advisory committee composed of experts in domestic sculpture, architecture, and art, Pohang, and POSCO officials.

Space Walk Design Intention

The design of Space Walk is based on the concept of “Light” in the Sun and Moon Myth of Pohang, the “song of light and steel” based on iron, a driving force of economic growth in Korea, and “walk on the sky and art together slowly.”

In order to express POSCO’s vision and value from the perspective of Community with POSCO, the company’s steel products were used as the material of the work, and it was designed as a participatory work completed through the audience’s experience.

Space Walk is reminiscent of a roller coaster from a distance, and the image of “fast speed” is evoked, but what visitors experience on the track of the work is the relationship between the body and space, walking slowly along the work.

This contradictory experience means the “relativity of time,” an important aesthetic concept of Space Walk, and an elegant curve drawn with steel and illumination embroidering the night sky symbolize steel and Pohang, the city of light. When people climb on the work of art and look at the landscape that is open on all sides, the panoramic view elicits exclamations from them.

Artistic meaning of experiential artwork Space Walk

The biggest feature of Space Walk is that it is an experiential art work where visitors climb on the work and walk on the stairs, communing with and experiencing the work through touch and hearing beyond vision and becoming one with it. Public works of art usually focus on the relationship between visitors and the works of art, whereas experiential works of art focus on the experience of changing from a simple gallery to a cultural creator as visitors participate in and relate to the works of art.

In addition, the process of the audience experiencing the work itself exists as part of the work, and through this experience, the true artist’s intention can be read. For example, visitors who have walked through the work of art realize that they cannot climb into the circular loop when they arrive at the center of the sculpture. Regarding this, the artists explained, “Visitors can experience a reflection on modern society that seeks only convenience through an intended inconvenience and the relativity of time and space through the effort of returning.”. The two-way track eventually returns and merges into one, through which the artists express “the harmony between art and man, business and citizens, POSCO and Pohang-si,” which is also a message that anyone who has walked on the work can read naturally.

Space Walk is a huge paradigm shift in public art and a work of art that shows the transformation of the times in the way culture is consumed.

Hwanho Park, where Space Walk is located, is the center of Yeongilman Bay Tourist Special Zone, and if Korea’s first and largest experiential sculpture becomes a representative landmark that symbolizes Pohang, it is expected to create synergy with a marine cable car project. In particular, it is expected to contribute to the vitalization of tourism in connection with new cultural contents in Pohang such as Park1538, a history museum, the night view of the steelworks, and Pohang Blast Furnace Museum 1.

We looked at Space Walk, which will become a landmark of the city along with the light of Pohang, where the sunrise is beautiful. Space Walk can be said to be the result of the integration of POSCO’s technologies and capabilities. In the next content, we will take a look at the birth story of Space Walk, from material to construction, in detail!

▲ POSCO Group CEO Jeong-woo Choi was appointed to Executive Board of Director at the annual conference of the World Steel Association member companies held online on October 13.

▲ A panoramic view of Park1538, which POSCO opened in Pohang in March of this year. Park1538 is a complex cultural space POSCO, consisting of a promotion center, history museum, hall of fame, and waterside park, and people can view the history, present and future of POSCO and the steel industry at a glance.

Let’s solve the curiosity about Community With POSCO, the last of the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands in this episode!

From the beginning of its foundation, POSCO considered growing with the local community as corporate social responsibility, solving various social problems with residents mainly in Pohang and Gwangyang where POSCO Group’s business sites are located, and Seoul and Incheon, and presenting a model in which companies and society develop together.

POSCO established Korea’s first integrated steelworks in Pohang on April 1, 1968, establishing a relationship with Pohang City. In addition, POSCO has been together with Gwangyang City since November 1981 when Gwangyang was confirmed as the site of the second steelworks, and the employees of both steelworks and partner companies have also been steadily carrying out sharing activities as members of the local community.

Pohang Works, which has been practicing Community With POSCO, is carrying out various win-win cooperative activities in the community. The employees are expressing their hearts through various activities, including sisterhood village sharing activities in which villages and departments set up sisterhood relationships and practice sharing, operation of the soup kitchen, talent donation groups that utilize the talents of employees, and welfare projects in cooperation with local social welfare organizations.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the representative activities of Pohang Works that practice Community With POSCO.

Sharing activities in sisterhood villages(region)
Pohang Works has been affiliated with 122 villages and 6 organizations and has been maintaining ties with 194 villages, including 18 group companies and 48 partner companies.

This year, in particular, many neighbors were suffering from difficulties in the region due to COVID-19, and POSCO first provided tablet PCs and other learning kits to local children’s centers to minimize the educational deviations caused by the increase in online classes so that students can use them in actual classes.

▲ An online learning kit application ceremony for local children is held at Pohang City Hall (left) and classes using learning kits.

In addition, the soup kitchen, which has been operated as part of community contributions since 2004, has been continuing to provide steady support by delivering meal kits so that people can eat at home in consideration of the difficulty of visiting meals due to COVID-19.

Executive and Employee Talent volunteer activities
POSCO executives and employees’ representative sharing activities are the ‘Talent Volunteer Group’, which combines their talents with volunteer work. In Pohang, there are about 40 talent volunteer groups including the Clean Ocean Volunteer Group, bicycle repair, and foot massage, and about 2,000 volunteers are active. Executives and employees are sharing their talents in various fields and helping their neighbors.

▲ Underwater purifying activities at Yeongilman Port (left) and replacing the wallpaper and the floor mat for senior citizens living alone.

This year, the Pohang Talent Volunteer Group has made special achievements. In the meantime, there have been many difficulties as each volunteer group had to operate a meeting place and storage for volunteer activities individually but the Nanum School, which will serve as a hub center for the talent volunteer group, is about to be completed in September this year.

The reason why Pohang Nanum School is even more special is that it will be built with a modular construction method that has all of the stability, convenience, and economic feasibility. Thanks to this, many volunteers have high expectations as it is expected to be used sooner than the building itself.

▲ A bird’s eye view of Pohang Nanum School, which maximizes aesthetics and efficiency through the application of the modular construction method,

Community social contribution project
Pohang Works is also taking the lead in social contribution projects to support the disadvantaged including those of multicultural families, disabled people, future generations, and senior citizens.

In particular, the 1% Sharing Foundation with the warm hands of its executives and employees is engaged in various local win-win activities and is collaborating with various local cooperative organizations to practice more professional and efficient support.

The most recent side dishes sharing for the underprivileged was even more meaningful as it was an event in which seven employees of the 1% Sharing Project Selection Committee in Pohang took advantage of personal and shift holidays to serve as daily chefs for the underprivileged in the region.

▲ Sharing side dishes for the underprivileged in the region (left) and sharing desks for children from North Korean refugee families.

Global Good Citizenship Week
During POSCO Global Good Citizenship Week, which was held from June 1 to 8 this year, 2,348 executives and employees also participated in Pohang to support the disadvantaged people exhausted from COVID-19, and took the lead in improving the residential environment, cultivating green spaces, and environment cleaning activities.

▲ Making a table of love during Global Good Citizenship Week (left) and taking pictures of the senior citizens living alone.

Marking its 12th anniversary this year, Global Good Citizenship Week was a great opportunity to deliver a helping hand to neighbors who have become more difficult due to COVID-19, carry out eco-friendly activities to practice carbon neutrality in terms of ESG management, and establish roles and ownership as a member of corporate citizenship.

Gwangyang Works, which is practicing Community With POSCO, is carrying out various win-win cooperative activities. The executives and employees practice sharing in a variety of ways, including sister village sharing activities in which villages and departments form sisterhood relationships and practice sharing, talent volunteer group activities of the executives and employees which exceeded more than 40 in 2021, Nanum school that spreads volunteer culture, welfare projects in cooperation with local social welfare organizations, and Gwangyang University Gugak Festival which expands opportunities to enjoy local cultural performances.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the representative activities of Gwangyang Works that practice Community With POSCO.

Sisterhood Villages (region) sharing activities

▲ Helping the harvest of plums, a specialty of Gwangyang (left), and support activities for remodeling the village welfare center in Myodo-dong, Yeosu.

Sisterhood Villages volunteer activity is the oldest and most historic social contribution activity among sharing activities of POSCO. Each department of the steelworks communicates with sisterhood villages in nearby areas to help workers in rural areas or provide various support and help at the request of the village.

Gwangyang Works has been maintaining a deep relationship with 82 villages and a total of 127 villages if including the partner companies and affiliates, and POSCO’s sharing culture is spreading over a wide range of areas, including Gwangyang as well as nearby Yeosu and Hadong.

Executives and employees talent donation
A representative sharing activity of POSCO executives and employees is talent volunteer group, which combines the talents of employees with volunteer work. The Gwangyang Works talent volunteer group, which started with six in 2014, has steadily increased, and now more than 40 talent volunteer groups and 2,000 employees are actively spreading the sharing culture in the local community.

The five newly established talent volunteer groups held a launching ceremony at Nanum School on April 9 to announce a strong start. The newly created talent volunteer groups present sharing and joy to the caring group in the region through nail art, love-sharing rice puffs, happy laundry, nesting place arrangement, and traditional play culture, and plans to establish three more volunteer groups in the second half of this year.

▲ The leaders of the 2021 new Talent Volunteer Groups held a launching ceremony at Nanum School.

Nanum School is a facility opened in 2019 and is a kind of educational facility opened in May last year by Gwangyang Works to improve the talent capabilities of its executives and employees and expand opportunities for executives, employees, and citizens to participate in volunteer work.

▲ The panoramic view of Nanum School at Gwangyang Works (left) and the beauty volunteer group laboratory inside the Nanum School.

The Nanum School is equipped with a lecture room for learning and lectures, a laboratory for some talent volunteer groups, and an auditorium that can be used jointly and is the home for the volunteer groups with more than 13 talent volunteer groups. About 300 people take lectures on talent volunteer groups at Nanum School every month, and not only executives and employees but also many citizens use it.

From August 1, 2021, Gwangyang Works will use its in-house blog system to operate ‘Talk Talk’, an online communication space where employees who have completed their volunteer work can share the joy and reward of volunteering. In the future, more than 230 volunteer groups, including department and group volunteer activities, talent volunteer groups, and general volunteer groups, plan to create an encouraging community culture in which they share and encourage each other’s activities.

Community social contribution project
Gwangyang Works is carrying out social contribution projects to help the caring group with various social welfare organizations in the region. The beneficiaries are the future generation, senior citizens, multicultural families, and disabled people, and in particular, some of the projects being promoted are expected to achieve good results by linking job creation for the disabled people and the senior citizens. Gwangyang Works plans to promote 17 projects with local social welfare organizations such as the 1% Sharing Foundation and the Jeonnam Community Chest of Korea this year.

▲ Kimchi making event at the launching ceremony of the lunch box delivery project (left) and signing a business agreement between Gwangyang City and POSCO to promote volunteer work.

Gwangyang City signed a business agreement on June 3 with the idea of sympathizing with the sharing activities of the Gwangyang Works and promoting local volunteer work. Not only executives and employees of Gwangyang Works but also Gwangyang City will continue to work together to spread the sharing culture in the region.

Expansion of opportunities to enjoy local cultural performances
Gwangyang Works has sponsored and operated the Korean University Gugak Festival since 2008 to expand opportunities to enjoy local cultural content, securing the popularity of Korean traditional music, and inheriting and developing traditional culture. Following these efforts, the University Gugak Festival has established itself as a representative local festival.

▲ Performance of the winning team at the 11th University Gugak Festival in 2019.

The University Gugak Festival is the only Korean traditional music contest that discovers and supports young Korean traditional musicians targeting university students and graduate students and since 2014, the Minister prize by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been newly established and operated by raising the level of rewards. Unfortunately, various cultural performances including the University Gugak Festival are not currently held in the aftermath of COVID-19, but it plans to continue as a representative cultural performance in the region.

Global Good Citizenship Week

▲ A soil ball-making event for a local river purification held at Global Good Citizenship Week and moving-in ceremony of Zero Energy Hope House No. 240.

How was the scenery of Gwangyang Works during this year’s Global Good Citizenship Week? About 7,500 executives and employees of Gwangyang Works and partner companies and 40 talent volunteer groups participated in the volunteer work and this year, they carried out public interest activities focusing on environmental protection in line with the promotion direction. There were local river purification activities and Seomjingang River marine purification activities by throwing EM(microorganism) soil balls performed by labor and management, and the moving-in ceremony of Zero Energy Hope House No. 240. This project plans to remodel a total of 10 households this year, considering environmental aspects such as wall insulation construction, replacement of windows, and old boilers for low-income families.

A brand of POSCO Corporate Citizenship, which solves problems in the local community and develops together with local citizens, Community With POSCO! POSCO plans to continue to make the world a better place by practicing sincere sharing activities.

To commemorate the opening of the CHANGeUP GROUND Pohang, on July 23rd, Professor William P. Barnett and Professor Hyun-sang Shin gave lectures under the theme of the value and performance of POSCO’s management philosophy, Corporate Citizenship. POSCO Newsroom delivers the lectures in detail!

The next site to visit is the special virtual lecture by Professor Hyun-sang Shin, a professor at Hanyang University Business School and the CEO of Impactree Search Lab, under the theme of ‘Evolution of POSCO: POSCO’s Transformation towards Corporate Citizenship’. Let’s take a look at how POSCO has changed, from the differences between its past and present perspectives on corporate philanthropy to an analysis of its management philosophy of corporate citizenship by looking back on its footprints.

l POSCO’s past, present, and future, “POSCO leaps through time!”: Professor Hyun-sang Shin

In this lecture, Professor Hyun-sang Shin analyzed POSCO’s management philosophy, Corporate Citizenship, by dividing it into three periods – ▲Before privatization ▲Globalization ▲After corporate citizenship declaration – and suggested the future direction.

Before talking about POSCO’s corporate citizenship, he introduced the four viewpoints on corporate philanthropy and explained the differences between the past and the present in each viewpoint. As time goes by, each viewpoint faces limitations. However, he said that corporate citizenship, the last of the four viewpoints and POSCO’s management philosophy, suggests a solution to the limitations arising from the other three viewpoints.

If a company adopts a viewpoint of corporate citizenship for corporate philanthropy, the next thing to consider is what kind of corporate citizenship it will pursue! Professor Hyun-sang Shin shows different types of corporate citizenship based on two familiar examples.

Authoritative corporate citizenship VS Imperfect but truthful and exertive corporate citizenship. Today’s corporate citizenship needs to contemplate which of the two directions it will be heading towards. If it moves towards the direction of imperfect but truthful and exertive corporate citizenship, how will it grow and develop, and how can it be evaluated and get feedback? Professor Hyun-sang Shin’s answers were in the ‘Novel Solutions to Social Problems’ by Professor James Phills of Stanford University.

The evaluation criteria for the cases of corporate citizenship presented by Professor Phills consists of three categories: Intention, Solution, and Performance. Based on this, Professor Hyun-sang Shin gave the analysis result of POSCO’s corporate citizenship by dividing it into three periods: Before privatization, Globalization, and After corporate citizenship declaration.

1. INTENTION: The analysis result of ‘Which problem of whose did you solve?’

To analyze the first criterion, Professor Hyun-sang Shin used W. Richard Scott’s Three Pillars of the Institutional Framework. This framework suggests that society consists of three pillars: Regulative (compliance with the law), Normative (embrace social needs and expectations), and Cognitive (support and appreciation from members, stockholders, and customers/clients). As an organization could collapse without getting resources and legitimacy from each pillar, the balance between the pillars has been emphasized. After corporate citizenship declaration, POSCO is gradually securing the balance between the three pillars with an increase in activities such as supply chain risk management, climate change response, and by-product recycling.

2. SOLUTION: The analysis result of ‘How did you solve the problem?’
In this category, collaboration with partners in corporate philanthropy is increasingly important. POSCO’s corporate philanthropy before privatization was more focused on simple cooperations such as independent projects or charities, and it went through the globalization period when it increased collaborations with some business partners. After the declaration of corporate citizenship, brand collaborations with clients such as INNOVILT and supplier collaborations such as ESG supply chain management and GEM fundraising increased. More collaborations with business partners imply a positive change towards the establishment of a win-win structure.

3. PERFORMANCE: The analysis result of ‘How well did you solve the problem?’

Professor Hyun-sang Shin emphasized the excellent use of the Five-Step Logic Model of Input→Activity→Output→Outcome→Impact to create a desirable change in this category. He explained the logic model by applying it to university students’ free tutoring service to underprivileged students. The input was how much resources the company invested in the university students’ volunteer system, the output was how much time the university students spent on the volunteer service under the company’s investment, and the outcome was whether the university students’ free tutoring service made much improvement in grade and satisfaction of the underprivileged students.

As you can see in the graph, POSCO started to get outcome reports on corporate philanthropy from the time of globalization, and the proportion of the report increased after the declaration of corporate citizenship. Although the increase in outcome implies a fairly positive change, Professor Hyun-sang Shin said that the company is still paying less attention to the outcome compared to the global standard. He suggested POSCO focus more on the outcome for its future development and also emphasized that the outcome should be applied to a solid strategy for business improvement so that the members can truly accept it.

In addition, he said that business outcomes might lead to an unintended way in the changing society and once again highlighted the importance of the authenticity of a company in those situations. The authenticity can be achieved through securing fairness with the balance between the three pillars of Regulative, Normative, and Cognitive, establishing a win-win structure through collaboration with business partners, and expanding outcome reporting into actual strategies in earnest.

POSCO Newsroom’s virtual lecture notes that delivered a meaningful lecture by Professor Hyun-sang Shin, who analyzed POSCO’s history of corporate philanthropy based on the viewpoint of corporate citizenship, ends here! We hope you had a meaningful time learning more about POSCO’s corporate citizenship.

To commemorate the opening of the CHANGeUP GROUND Pohang, on July 23rd, Professor William P. Barnett and Professor Hyun-sang Shin gave lectures under the theme of the value and performance of POSCO’s management philosophy, Corporate Citizenship. POSCO Newsroom delivers the lectures in detail!

The first site to visit is Professor William P. Barnett’s special virtual lecture under the theme of ‘POSCO and Corporate Citizenship: An Evolutionary Perspective’ to commemorate the opening of the CHANGeUP GROUND Pohang. Let’s learn about POSCO’s corporate management from Professor William P. Barnett’s unconventional viewpoint!

l Evolution in Corporate Management, “Learning more about POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship!”

Professor William P. Barnett, together with Professor Jae-goo Kim of Myongji University and Professor Moo-weon Rhee of Yonsei University, conducted joint research on POSCO’s management philosophy, Corporate Citizenship. Professor William P. Barnett mentioned that POSCO, which took corporate citizenship as its management philosophy, can be viewed from an evolutionary perspective by comparing it to the Red Queen Hypothesis. In particular, POSCO is the first company he wants to study as it has preemptively declared corporate citizenship in response to the rapidly rising ESG trend.

The Red Queen? An evolutionary perspective? If you are not sure about the relationship between these unfamiliar words and corporate citizenship, let’s look into the core content of Professor William P. Barnett’s virtual lecture with POSCO Newsroom!

According to Professor William P. Barnett, a company’s development of something new through innovation means that the company’s performance, quality of product, production innovation, and efficiency go up together. When a company becomes powerful in the market, the competitor also increases. Therefore, the company has to continuously innovate and improve its product quality and efficiency to not fall behind the competitors. In other words, competitive companies continue to innovate to stay ahead of their rivals, thereby creating a virtuous evolutionary circle in which innovation causes another innovation.

In an anecdote from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, the sequel to Lewis Carroll’s children’s tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Red Queen tells Alice that she must keep running to survive in the competition. The Red Queen Hypothesis, taken from this anecdote, explains that competition makes every company on the market stronger.

The most innovative companies have led the virtuous circle of change, and POSCO is at the forefront of the change, leading innovation in the manufacturing and steel industry. POSCO is evolving into a more innovative company by exchanging benefits with its partners as well as competitors.

Most companies attempt innovation with their own motivation. Then, what is POSCO’s motive for innovation, that is to say, the reason for POSCO to innovate?

POSCO is taking ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) as its stepping stone for innovation and evolving towards perfect corporate citizenship.
Professor William P. Barnett says that even though many companies took corporate citizenship as their management philosophy, they are not taking concrete measures to implement it. Without practical and concrete measures to achieve corporate citizenship, a better world is just a fantasy. However, POSCO is implementing practical and concrete actions to support its goal of achieving corporate citizenship, he added.

l POSCO positioned itself as a leading ESG management company in the steel industry

POSCO recently announced its three-stage plan to pursue carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan is to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2030, 50% by 2040, and finally achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To this end, POSCO set forth an objective to reduce the existing blast furnace facilities and commercialize the hydrogen-reduction steel facilities by 2050. In particular, it presented a policy to solidify its carbon-neutral position unparalleled in the global steel industry by accelerating the development of HyREX technology.

Many experts predict that challenges and opportunities will coexist in the upcoming era of profound change, and the importance of ESG will be even greater. Then, what is the main content of the ESG business that POSCO is promoting in preparation for the profound change?

POSCO has long been a good example of corporate development and innovation, and the members have also actively participated in its innovation. Many experts were uncertain and skeptical about POSCO’s technical prowess at the time of its establishment. Still, with the unwavering belief of becoming a leader in technological innovation, POSCO has grown into a company walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s greatest corporations. Consequently, the initial vision of POSCO has made what POSCO is today.

Professor William P. Barnett said that it was utterly regrettable to give a lecture virtually as he could not visit the site in person due to the pandemic. In response, POSCO CEO Jeong-woo Choi expressed his gratitude to Professor William P. Barnett for giving a lecture in the evening due to the time difference.

The lecture finished in a warm atmosphere, but is this the end of the Special Symposium on Corporate Citizenship?
Wait! In the next episode, Professor Hyun-sang Shin will be joining us. Let’s continue to look into the core content of Professor Hyun-sang Shin’s virtual lecture!

It has been 3 years since POSCO made a public declaration about its management philosophy, ‘Corporate Citizenship’ with the wish of being a 100-year long company in July 2018. What will be talked about here is: POSCO’s intensive effort and remarkable achievement to follow the philosophy with the Special Symposium for a Path to the Future Management with 3 Years of POSCO Corporate Citizenship, which was held on July 21st.

l Setting Standards for Work-Life Integration with the Declaration of the ‘Corporate Citizenship’

POSCO desired to identify its new culture to make the growth of a 100-year long company earning respect from others while not only sticking to the philosophy ‘Contributing to the Nation with Steel Production’ with a 50-year history but also developing together with interested parties and contributing to the community.

This background drove the company’s proactive declaration of the management philosophy, ‘Corporate Citizenship: Building a Better Future Together’ in 2018. POSCO with its management philosophy, ‘Corporate Citizenship’ – pursuing ‘the value of coexistence’ while growing together across the industry and countries – has reached a stage in its evolution by contributing to the community.

After the declaration, POSCO keeps moving forward with three strategies:
△ Business With POSCO, to create value with customers, suppliers, and business partners
△ Society With POSCO, to shape a better society together,
△ People With POSCO, to nurture company culture of trust and creativity.
Employees engaging in innovation work with ‘the Three Principles’:
△ Pursue quality over formality
△ Pursue action than talk
△ Pursue practical interest rather than finding a cause

In July 2019 – 1 year later – ‘the Charter of Corporate Citizenship’ was declared as a business direction to move forward for the ‘Corporate Citizenship’.

▲ On July 25th 2019, the Charter of Corporate Citizenship was declared in the convention room of Pohang Head Office. The CEO of POSCO Group, Jeong-woo Choi, and the employee representatives are holding hands with each other after the declaration.

The charter concluded by the discussions with advice from internal or external panels and opinions from employees includes practical principles to achieve the POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship. In order to allow the principles to work in every business activity, it sets details for the principle:
△ to create a healthy industrial ecosystem with business partners,
△ to be a leader dealing with social problems and enhancing society,
△ to foster a company culture on trust and creativity to create a place ensuring employees feel valued and happy.

In July 2020, POSCO issued the Corporate Citizenship Management Standards (CCMS) to provide detailed guidelines to call for actions.

▲‘The Corporate Citizenship Management Standards (CCMS)’ were announced on July 28th 2020 as a keymap to keep being on track and reach the ‘Corporate Citizenship’

The Charter of Corporate Citizenship provides the concepts and direction of its management philosophy, ‘Corporate Citizenship’ that the employees should adopt while CCMS suggests a standard on actions and decision making, which helps employees practice and achieve practically for work and life.

l Establishing a new department for the Corporate Citizenship, holding meetings for advisory and strategies

POSCO’s new organization and conference groups established to implement its management philosophy, are leading POSCO in the right direction, playing their roles with responsibility.

In 2019, the internal governance set up a department for the Corporate Citizenship to control action and spread the philosophy more widely. In 2020, it also founded the Environment, Society, Governance Group (ESG) under the Corporate Citizenship department and established a firm foothold. In 2021, the ESG committee was established under the Board of Directors.

As an external advisory organization, the Corporate Citizenship Committee which directly advises the CEO began on March 15th 2019 welcoming its initial members: three external experts from the economic, management, humanities and social science, and law industry, and also seven other directors from inside and outside the company.

▲ The Corporate Citizenship Committee’s first meeting being held on April 8th 2019. Members shared opinions on revising ‘the Charter of Corporate Citizenship’ to inform employees about the importance of Corporate Citizenship to encourage their actions.

A Corporate Citizenship Committee’s meeting is held quarterly to discuss POSCO’s direction, management strategy advice, and suggestions especially regarding Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) trend changes, and lastly, they review the results from achievement in social value following the plan.

The advisory organization, the Corporate Citizenship Advisory Conference, that began this year, gives direct advice to the CEO. It also consists of three additional experts in safety, environment, and organizational culture to provide more ESG related advice. The organization takes suggestions about industrial safety, health, and ESG business management strategies over its current assignment.

▲ The first half of the strategy meeting of the Corporate Citizenship held on April 16th, POSCO’s directors, the presidential boards, the heads of overseas corporations are attending online and in-person to talk about the company’s advancements, adaptation to social changes, and how to maintain competitiveness and continue to create a 100-year long legacy.

Moreover, POSCO analyzes its actions carried out by the philosophy for the entire groups, attending the Corporate Citizenship Strategy Meetings annually since July 2019 to share the best practices and reshape the strategy with 20 presidential board members in every first and second half of the year. On April 16th, the meeting for the first half of 2021 was held to discuss for the solution to be more distinctively competitive and to create a strategy to further maintain its reputation for 100 years.

l The birth of ‘the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands’ to shape a better society

Same as other content from ‘the Charter of Corporate Citizenship’, POSCO has carried out various projects at the corporate level and understood its role within the society as a member by suggesting solutions for social problems to create a better society. In 2019, the ‘Representative Six Projects’ were selected and subsequently announced publicly to further help people’s understanding of these activities while publicizing the meaning of Corporate Citizenship.

On the other hand, the project reorganization was required as followed by the company’s reaction to climate change, the need for communications on the environment and safety. Its separated projects and achievements by each different group helped expand the role of the management philosophy, ‘Corporate Citizenship’. Finally, the ‘Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands’ were launched for the purpose of having more diverse projects in March 2021.

The brands are divided into five categories: the signature brand, ‘Green With POSCO’ to lead the hydrogen industry in an action of ‘Carbon Reduction’ and achieve it by 2050’, ‘Together With POSCO’ to create developments together with suppliers and customers, ‘Challenge With POSCO’ to revitalize the venture ecosystem and foster new growth within the industry, ‘Life With POSCO’ to actively resolve social challenges such as a low birth rate and the increase in unemployment rates while ensuring its employees’ safety and happiness. ‘Community With POSCO’ aims to suggest development models for both the community and company to maintain sustainability and coexist together.

More details of the brand projects are shared in ‘An Easy-to-understand Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands’

l Having the moment to share the achievements of the ‘Corporate Citizenship’ projects and researches

POSCO holds an annual event to showcase best practices and achievements. In the annual event in 2019, Tae-won Chey, the Chairman of SK Inc., and Ki-moon Ban, former Secretary-General of the United Nations was invited as special guests to hold lectures in order to further enhance the quality of the event.

The first commemorative performance event around the theme “Corporate, Becoming a Citizen” was held on the 3rd of December 2019, shortly before the COVID19 pandemic occurred. It drew a wide audience with its diverse selection of prepared programs from the commitment to action for the six representative projects, panel discussions, and conferences. Also, visitors had chances to have on-site experience of the ‘Corporate Citizenship’ – touring a public information hall, sharing achievement, visiting booths for the venture platform, charity flea market, and enjoying busking performances, which were all well received by those in attendance.

▲ On December 3rd 2019, the achievement was shared first in Atrium on the 1st floor of the POSCO center. More than 1,000 people including employees, officers from national organizations, experts, and citizens joined and created an atmosphere of joy.

Additionally, the best practices were shared in each category, Sang-young Lee, a leader from POSCO International for Business Section, Yo-han Lee, a leader from POSCO Chemical for People section, Jong-chul Lee, a team leader from POSCO Community Serving Volunteer Group for Society section. Their truthful and humorous stories moved the audience.

On December 8th 2020, the Corporate Citizenship Culture Day was held with the theme of ‘a Path to the Future Management with the Corporate Citizenship’. During the event, Ki-moon Ban, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, gave a special lecture about ‘Sustainable future for the corporate and directions for POSCO with the ‘Corporate Citizenship’ in front of about 10,000 employees.

Moreover, the book with a summary of corporate accomplishments from activities and research on numerous areas including management, economy, and sociology, was released and swiftly had a discussion meeting with the authors and professors.

l Special symposium to celebrate 3 years of the ‘Corporate Citizenship’:
a Path to the Future Management with 3 Years of POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship

It has been three years since the declaration and on 21st July 2021, a special symposium was held to talk about ‘a Path to the Future Management with 3 Years of POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship’. For the event held both online and in-person, important members of the company and academic panels: Jeong-woo Choi, the CEO of POSCO Group, Soo-keun Kwak of the ‘Corporate Citizenship Forum’, an honorary professor of Seoul National University (also a leader of the Corporate Citizenship Advisory Conference), Ho-keun Song , a chair-professor of POSTECH (also a director on Society department of the Corporate Citizenship), Hyeong-goo Mun, an honorary professor of Korea University (also a department director of the Corporate Citizenship–People).

POSCO Group CEO Choi announced ongoing achievements and said, “after the declaration of ‘the Corporate Citizenship’, POSCO reinforces competitiveness in particular business areas such as electric vehicles, environmentally friendly materials, and hydrogen energy business while also building a global collaboration system for expanded use of a by-product of steel production, the virtuous circle system to re-use waste resources and to further the development of hydrogen-based steelmaking. Lastly, the corporate’s accomplishment is to enable people to enhance the safety management policy, and reinforcing facilities, while developing and implementing smart safety technology.”

Not only, Professor William P. Barnett of Stanford University, Professor Jae-goo Kim of Myongji University, Professor Moo-weon Rhee of Yonsei University, Professor Hyeon-sang Shin of Hanyang University and Seong-jin Park, the head of POSCO Industry-Academy-Research Cooperation Office were all invited to give special lectures about the value and achievement of the philosophy.

▲ On the 21st of July, Choi, the CEO of POSCO Group is conducting an online Q&A session with William Barnett, the professor of Stanford University as well as the speaker of the event, marking the three-year anniversary of the declaration.

Professor Barnett explained that “in the times of ESG management, POSCO is actively leading the industry by introducing the management philosophy, ‘the Corporate Citizenship’. The value and standards on others should be suggested too.”

In the following session, a total of 12 corporate case studies were presented and linked the achievements of the POSCO Group with corporate citizenship in collaboration with the five major brands based on research from scholars in the major Korean universities. The results were shown by each of the brand’s case study professors, and executive employees from the corresponding case studies with their results. The presented materials have been published in an E-book format and are available for download on POSCO’s website. (POSCO’s Website – Home)

The POSCO’s Symposium was held to declare corporate citizenship as its management philosophy and everyone involved shared their accomplishments. Corporate Citizenship will be truly achieved only after the Charter of Corporate Citizenship and CCMS cultivates the philosophy to every employee to follow and act accordingly.

In upcoming September, POSCO sessions will be held at the World Knowledge Forum (WKF) arranged by Maekyung Media Group to discuss new possible company roles and shape the future based on the achievement created within the 3 years of Corporate Citizenship. Moreover, at the end of November, the Corporate Citizenship Brand Day will be held for its employees to present and discuss their best practices produced by their experiences and actions with Corporate Citizenship. These events will allow everyone to take a close look at the changes that have been implemented through these times and aid us in becoming a 100-year-old company earning respects by customers, business partners, and suppliers alike.

POSCO marked three years with the declaration of ‘Corporate Citizenship’ in July 2018. POSCO has fiercely worked to accomplish the Corporate Citizenship. Respectively, the Corporate Citizenship has now established itself as a management philosophy to provide the way of future management. Nevertheless, POSCO will still put its effort into shaping a better society, creating higher company value through practicing the Corporate Citizenship with sincerity.

I POSCO, we want to deliver a sincere message.

Recently, advertisements by Swedish carmaker Volvo have become a hot issue online. Volvo, famous for proving the robustness of the product through destructive safety tests, once again produced an advertisement titled ‘The Ultimate Safety Test’. The appearance of a polar region with a glacier in the intro raises the expectation that safety tests in dangerous situations will be carried out. However, with the scene of the glacier collapsing, the twist begins. Then the message says “Climate change is the ultimate safety test. That’s why we’re changing to all-electric”, clearly revealing Volvo’s future direction.

Volvo Cars is actually operating a carbon emission reduction action plan and is actively participating in a joint project to cope with climate change. “We are part of the problem of climate change, but we can also be part of the solution. We have a responsibility to act,” said Hanna Fager, Head of Corporate Functions at Volvo Cars. This is an example of the sincerity of the values and social responsibilities pursued by companies.

In addition, not long ago, a campaign video of a chair brand gained popularity on YouTube with more than 5.9 million cumulative views. The Fursys Group’s ‘Lean on’ campaign is a video showing the contents of social contribution activities that produce and send customized chairs to those in need, such as grandmothers of Hangeul University and street busking musicians. This campaign received enthusiastic responses and won the “2020 Consumers’ Choice Outstanding Ad” online category.

Philip Kotler, a professor emeritus at Northwestern University who is called the master of management, defines the phenomenon that the company’s brand itself has become an active act on social responsibility as ‘brand activism’. This is because the company that the public wants to work with is ‘a company that steadily delivers a genuine message through the brand’.

POSCO has also been steadily practicing since the declaration of its management philosophy as a “Corporate Citizenship” in 2018 and the announcement of its five major projects. If so, let’s take a closer look at what the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands are.

I The background of the birth of the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands

As the preamble of the Corporate Citizenship Charter states, ‘As a member of the social community, POSCO is seeking and practicing corporate-level roles to engage in addressing social issues and to create a better society’.

And after the declaration of management philosophy, in 2019, the six major projects were selected to make these activities easier for more people to understand and empathize with.

However, with the recent emphasis on ESG management, it has become more important to respond to climate change and communicate with stakeholders on the environment and safety. In addition, the scope of activities as corporate citizenship has been further expanded, such as promoting major projects suitable for the characteristics of POSCO as well as group companies and also generating results.

In this way, in March 2021, the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands were finally born.

I Intensive exploratory! the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands

In last December, as POSCO declared to achieve ‘2050 carbon neutrality’, Green With POSCO (a company you protect the environment with) was set as its signature brand, and Together With POSCO (a company you want to work with), Challenge With POSCO (a company you want to grow together with), Life With POSCO (a company you build a future together with), and Community With POSCO (a company you engage with for the local community) were designated as five major brands.

First, let’s take a look at Together With POSCO, ‘a company you want to work with’. POSCO shows its willingness to create a stronger supply chain and industrial ecosystem based on its experience of presenting a new paradigm for shared growth with business partners. The brand includes activities that pursue cooperation and win-win value with various stakeholders.

POSCO is carrying out a new level of shared growth activities to meet higher social expectations and flexibly cope with changes in the management environment. The major projects are Benefit Sharing (a system that shares the performance of POSCO and its partners), Open sourcing (suppliers can promote their products without visiting in person), and Steel Win-Win Fund (worth KRW 100 billion funds to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, providing liquidity to small and medium-sized enterprises). Especially, 897 company members signed up in the e-Catalog system which is an open sourcing business, 5,257 products were introduced, and 1,529 products were contracted for purchasing (July 2019 to present).

Next is Challenge With POSCO, ‘a company you want to grow together with’! It is a brand that shows its willingness to become a ‘company that wants to grow together with’ by discovering and nurturing promising venture companies. It aims to achieve change and innovation in society and industry as a driving force for POSCO Group’s innovation and sustainable growth.

POSCO has established startup incubation spaces and is providing places for startups, including ‘Seoul Change Up Ground’, a public–private partnership incubation center (Ministry of SMEs and Startups). It also incubated and accelerated 60 startups through venture platforms in 2020. It continues to build a virtuous circle venture platform by discovering promising venture companies twice a year and supporting the entire process of business from the idea stage to the business model establishment, investment, and follow-up management. POSCO utilizes POSCO Group’s business capabilities and resources in line with the Sustainable and low-carbon trends while working with partners with ideas to pursue “environment, sustainable city, production, and consumption.”

The signature brand, Green With POSCO, contains POSCO’s strong will to create ‘a company that protects the environment together’.

To achieve the target of ‘2050 Carbon Neutrality’, POSCO sets out a mid-to long-term target of 20% carbon reduction in 2030 and 50% in 2040. For now, it plans to optimize low carbon solutions that reduce carbon emissions that are already in use and apply low carbon technology step by step in the future. The first step is to improve energy efficiency and replace economically low carbon fuel materials, the second step is to upgrade scrap utilization and apply Carbon Capture Storage & Utilization (CCUS), and the third step is to develop existing FINEX-based hydrogen reduction and renewable energy-based low-carbon steel process.

POSCO not only develops technologies to realize Carbon Reduction but also carries out continuous communication and partnership activities with stakeholders. In addition, as a corporate citizen, it also actively participates in ‘My Little Challenge’, which can reduce carbon in his work and daily life.

Life with POSCO, ‘a company that makes the future together’, protects valuable values for employees such as safety, health, welfare, and education. POSCO strives to make Pohang and Gwangyang good cities to give birth to and raise children, and to provide various educational opportunities to develop the dreams of future generations.

‘1% Sharing Art School’, which helps to build dreams in culture and art, ‘Do Dream’, a program that supports teenagers in child welfare facilities to stand on their feet, and ‘Science Beyond Imagination’, an experience-based creativity lecture project that visits local schools in person are the major projects. Also, believing that ‘the future of young people is the future of a country’, POSCO aims to strengthen the employment capabilities of young people by operating ‘POSCO YOUTH DREAM’. It supports young people through academies to foster AI/Big Data-related talent and enter the industry, startup incubation schools for prospective startups, and Youth Sharing h, a job-linked program for small and medium-sized companies.

Community With POSCO, ‘a company you engage with for the local community’. POSCO perceived growing up with local communities as a corporate social responsibility from the beginning of its foundation. It plans to continue to present a model of coexistence and development around the hub area where POSCO Group’s business sites are located.

Currently, POSCO employees operate a total of 80 talent volunteer groups in Pohang, Gwangyang, and Seoul, participate in regional differentiated social contribution programs, practice sharing, and build trust with the local community by using work characteristics and specialties. It also operates free meal service centers in Pohang and Gwangyang and established a university student volunteer group ‘Beyond’ since 2007 to help regenerate farming and fishing villages and serve as a bridge between cities and villages.

In addition, it provides cultural contents of various genres that enhance the self-esteem of residents through classical music, musicals, and expert lectures such as POSCO Culture Concert, Kids Concert, and Year-End Concert. It also installed sculptures made with POSCO’s steel materials in Hwanho Park in Pohang and also installed sculptures that represent the local community in villages near Gwangyang Steel Works and strengthen solidarity with the local community.

I The power of a respected 100-year company comes from POSCO Corporate Citizenship!

Now, I think we should discover and promote activities that many people can sympathize with by utilizing the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands. As soon as the value of the five major brands that we practice and realize in person becomes POSCO’s corporate culture, won’t the public exclaim, ‘As expected, POSCO Corporate Citizenship!’ POSCO will continue to strive to help more people to participate and empathize with the five major brand activities of corporate citizenship. Concluding the story of the birth of the five major brands, we look forward to your continued interest and encouragement in “An easy-to-understand the Five POSCO Corporate Citizenship Brands’ story” that will be serialized in the future.

I Provides education needed for employment to marriage migrant women and provides customized career counseling for their children

I Supports for three years with the POSCO 1% Foundation raised with 1% of POSCO employees’ salary

▲ POSCO held an agreement ceremony at POSCO Center in Seoul on the 25th with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Korean Institute for Healthy Family for mutual cooperation in supporting marriage migrant women and multicultural children.
From the left, POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Minister Young-Ai Chung, and Korean Institute for Healthy Family Chief Keum-Ok Kim.

POSCO (CEO Jeong-Woo Choi) signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) for a project to support marriage migrant women and children with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Minister Young-Ai Chung) and Korean Institute for Healthy Family (Chief Keum-Ok Kim) on May 25 to support the improvement of the self-reliance capabilities of multicultural families.

POSCO CEO Choi, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung, and Korean Institute for Healthy Family Chief Kim signed a business agreement at the POSCO Center in Seoul, to support basic learning and IT education for marriage migrant women and to support their children’s careers and scholarships.

The support project, which started last year with a collaboration between POSCO and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, is planned to be carried out by Korean Institute for Healthy Family which directs Healthy Family Support Center and Danuri(Multicultural family support center) nationwide and will be promoted for the next three years.

This project plans to support by reflecting the needs of marriage migrant women who wish for more stable and professional jobs rather than simple labor-oriented jobs and also by focusing on GED(General Equivalency Diploma) and computer specialist education to acquire the educational background needed for employment.

Those eligible for support are marriage migrant women centered on areas of POSCO Group’s main businesses including Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do and, Incheon. In particular, additional scholarships will be provided when entering universities after passing the GED.

In addition, in order to help children from multicultural families grow into healthy members of society by supporting their children to go to higher education, the project will also help them choose their careers according to their interests and talents.

Along with this, it plans to select about 20 college students registered in the excellent personnel Data Base of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to provide scholarships to develop their strengths to foster talented people who can be role models for multicultural children.

This project is very significant that it supports family members to settle and grow stably in society as the number of multicultural family members continues to increase to 1.06 million in our society and it is promoted by the POSCO 1% Foundation, which is operated by donating a portion of the salary of POSCO Group employees.

POSCO CEO Choi said, “I hope this project will help marriage migrant women who wish to work in high-quality jobs and teenagers from multicultural families who are worried about their careers.” He added, “I wish that this project will give new hope to multicultural families and create a virtuous cycle in which their changed lives give others courage.”

Meanwhile, at the MOU event, coffee was served at ‘Cafe Oasia’, run by marriage migrant women. Cafe Oasia is a social cooperative created to provide jobs for marriage migrant women, and more than half of its employees are marriage migrant women. Six of the 19 stores nationwide are operated in POSCO and the group companies’ offices.

POSCO has been steadily carrying out projects to support multicultural families. In particular, it has been supporting joint weddings for multicultural families since 2007, and in 2010, it received great response by supporting the establishment of the ‘Danuri Call Center’ which helps marriage migrant women adjust to their early life in Korea.