Harit Keawmuang, selected as a POSCO Asia Fellow in the fall of 2022, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). Originally from Thailand, Harit completed his undergraduate studies in his home country and went on to earn a master’s degree in Hungary, Europe. He came to Korea to begin his doctoral studies as a POSCO Asia Fellow*. In this interview, Harit shares his heartfelt journey—from his decision to study in Korea, to his experience as a fellow, and his aspirations to contribute to sustainable technological development in Thailand.

*The POSCO Asia Fellowship is a scholarship program operated by the POSCO TJ Park Foundation. It invites outstanding talent from various Asian countries to Korea to support their master’s and doctoral degrees, and aims to promote exchange and mutual understanding among Asian countries.

Hello, my name is Harit Keawmuang, and I’m from Thailand. Thai people usually have nicknames, and mine is “Game.” Even in Korea, my professors and friends call me by this nickname.

​I completed my undergraduate degree in Thailand, then earned a master’s degree in Hungary. In the fall of 2022, I was very fortunate to be selected as a POSCO Asia Fellow, which brought me to Korea to pursue my Ph.D. I’m now in my third year of the Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering at POSTECH, focusing on the field of nanophotonics.

Nanophotonics is a field that studies how to manipulate light using extremely small structures. The prefix “nano” refers to a unit that is one-billionth of a meter. We study how to guide and shape light through these tiny structures. One example is the “metalens”—an ultra-thin lens composed of nanostructures. These lenses can focus light without the need for traditional thick glass, making them particularly useful for smartphones, compact cameras, and medical devices.

While preparing to study in Korea, I was looking for scholarships and came across the POSCO Asia Fellowship. I learned that it offered not only financial support but also a platform for connecting with other talented students from across Asia studying in Korea. That drew me in, and I decided to apply.

​When I found out I had been selected, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and joy. At the same time, I was a bit sad about being apart from my family. Still, I believed this would be a meaningful step in both my personal and academic journey. I was confident and ready to embrace the new challenges ahead.

The POSCO Asia Fellowship and the POSCO TJ Park Foundation provided not only financial support but also emotional care. Thanks to their thoughtful consideration and encouragement, my life in Korea became much smoother. One of the most memorable moments was attending an alumni gathering in Pohang. It was a delightful experience where I got to enjoy food and conversations with alumni from various countries, including fellow Thai seniors.

​Another memory that stands out is receiving gifts from the Foundation during Korean holidays. After a long day, coming back to my dorm to find a warm gift left at my door was truly comforting. Those moments reminded me that I wasn’t alone, and they meant a lot to me.

There were three main reasons I decided to study in Korea. First, I had a long-standing interest in Korean culture, especially through Korean dramas, which sparked my curiosity about Korean life and language. Over time, I developed a desire to experience life in Korea firsthand.

​Second, I wanted to shift my academic journey from Europe to Asia. In Thailand, graduation ceremonies are very important to families, especially to older generations. My grandmother, who raised me, couldn’t attend my undergraduate ceremony, and due to distance and health issues, she also missed my master’s graduation. I hoped that by studying in Asia, she might be able to attend my Ph.D. graduation, which was a strong motivation for me.

​Third, I wanted to study nanotechnology and nanophotonics—fields that are still developing in Thailand. POSTECH, in particular, has excellent research environments, outstanding faculty, and cutting-edge facilities. I believed it was the ideal place for me to grow in this field.

I am conducting research in nanotechnology, specifically in the field of nanophotonics. As mentioned earlier, this field explores how to manipulate light through extremely small structures. My current research focuses on a technology called Photonic Radiative Cooling.

​This technology uses nanostructures to reflect sunlight and radiate heat, cooling objects to temperatures even lower than the surrounding air, all without using electricity. It’s a highly practical and eco-friendly cooling method, different from traditional air conditioners.

​I chose this field not only because it is fascinating, but also because Thailand still has a long way to go in this area. Nanophotonics is rapidly evolving worldwide and holds great innovation potential. In a hot and humid country like Thailand, this kind of energy-efficient cooling technology could make a significant impact. My goal is to contribute to the development of sustainable cooling systems in Thailand—technology that could benefit everyday life and help solve environmental issues.

As a Ph.D. student, my immediate goal is to produce meaningful research and publish high-quality results. After completing my degree, I hope to return to Thailand and work as a professor or researcher, contributing to the advancement of nanotechnology and nanophotonics in my country. Most of all, I want to spend time with my family, who have supported me throughout this journey, and repay their love and encouragement by living closely with them.

To students who are currently chasing their dreams or going through tough times, I want to say: even if you feel like giving up, you can overcome it. I wasn’t very focused in school and often gave up easily. But once I started thinking about what matters—myself and the people who care about me—I began to focus and change.

​If you feel like you don’t have the strength to fight for yourself, think about those you love. For me, my mother and my family were my greatest sources of strength.

​To be honest, I wasn’t someone with grand ambitions or dreams. I simply wanted to be a better person, make my mom proud, and protect my family by doing something I love. What I’ve learned is that you don’t need a big dream or a flashy goal to move forward. Sometimes, the small motivations tied to those you care about can become a powerful force that changes your life. Rather than big plans, it might be the precious people right beside you who push you forward.

To me, POSCO and the POSCO TJ Park Foundation are not just a company or a foundation. As a POSCO Asia Fellow, I feel a deep sense of pride and belonging, not just as a scholarship recipient, but as a member of a community that truly believes in and supports me. I know that everything I’ve accomplished in Korea was not achieved alone. It was made possible because of POSCO’s support. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank POSCO and the POSCO TJ Park Foundation once again.

*This content was created based on an interview article by the POSCO TJ Park Foundation.

Tae-woon Jeong was recognized as a POSCO Hero for his remarkable courage and composure in a life-threatening situation where he saved his mother’s life. A ten-year-old attending Buwon Elementary School, Tae-woon calmly called 119 (emergency services) and performed CPR for about seven minutes during his mother’s cardiac arrest. His actions, guided by what he had learned and his refusal to give up even in a terrifying moment, moved countless people and earned him the POSCO Heroes award.

In this interview, Tae-woon shared a vivid account of the emergency, his thoughts on participating in the POSCO Heroes award ceremony, and his everyday life. Through conversations with his mother, who miraculously regained consciousness, they also shared heartfelt moments and the changes in their lives since the incident. We’re honored to share the inspiring story of this brave young boy and his loving mother.

When I first heard from my mom that I had been chosen as a POSCO Hero, it felt a little unfamiliar, but I was really proud and happy to be receiving an award. I submitted a field trip request at school and went to the POSCO Center for the ceremony. The huge aquarium and the old TVs (Nam June Paik’s works) that I saw in the lobby were very memorable. The building itself was big, grand, and impressive. It was even more special because the ceremony was held on Parents’ Day, and I could attend with my mom and receive the award together. After the ceremony, we visited a bookstore in the basement of the POSCO Center, bought a book, and headed home. On the way back, there were so many expensive cars and tall buildings—I had a great time just looking around.

I was both nervous and excited because I got to meet Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho. I was really nervous on the day of filming, but all the staff members were very kind, so I felt comfortable during the interview. My grandfather was so proud—he recorded the show and kept watching it. My school friends also praised me and said I was really cool.

I was in the living room and my mom was in the kitchen. While we were talking, I suddenly heard a loud thud, so I ran to the kitchen. My mom had collapsed. I quickly checked if she was breathing by putting my hand near her nose. When I realized she wasn’t breathing, I decided to start CPR. I called 119 myself and tried my best to clearly explain our home address and my mom’s condition. I continued CPR for about seven minutes until the emergency responders arrived. It was hard to press down properly at times, so I climbed onto my mom’s body to do it more effectively. I think I was able to handle the situation well because I had received CPR training four times—once at kindergarten, once at my taekwondo studio, and twice at elementary school, between the ages of six and nine. Also, I’m the one who always orders the chicken at home, so I was used to giving out our address without panicking. (laughs)

Before, I used to be scared to walk down the hallway in our apartment, so I always called my dad to come and get me. But after saving my mom, I feel braver and not scared anymore. I think I’ve become more courageous.

I collapsed from an acute myocardial infarction, but I don’t even remember falling. Thanks to Tae-woon, I was safely handed over to emergency responders and placed in the ICU, but I was unconscious for five days. The doctors told my family that if I was lucky, I might end up in a vegetative state, and if not, possibly brain-dead. It was that serious. Thankfully, I regained consciousness after five days. When I opened my eyes, Tae-woon was crying and asking me if I recognized him. I didn’t even know why I was in the hospital. I’m so grateful to Tae-woon for saving my life. After this experience, I realized how precious life truly is. My body isn’t fully recovered yet, and sometimes it doesn’t work the way I want it to, which makes me feel down. But since I’ve basically come back from the brink of death, I try to live each day with gratitude and happiness. Just like Tae-woon said, I hope everyone lives each day with appreciation, good health, and joy.

With courage and composure beyond his years, Tae-woon proved himself to be a true hero by saving his mother! We hope that the seven-minute miracle made possible by Tae-woon will lead to even greater miracles and good fortune in the future!

*This content was created based on an interview article by the POSCO TJ Park Foundation.

① BUSINESS   #WTPProducts #CI2020 #Lighthouse #ClientCompanies #BenefitSharing #INNOVILT #PosART #AffiliatesBusiness

■ POSCO’s Competitiveness — Shining Brighter in the Dark
2019 was a cruel year for steel companies around the globe. POSCO was also under pressure of Roll Margin too. However, POSCO saw a smaller profit decline compared to its major global competitors, thanks to its high value-added World Top Premium (WTP) products. Sales of WTP products increased from 9.61 million tons last year to 10.19 million tons this year, protecting profitability.

Another factor that helped POSCO overcome crisis was cost reduction activities. POSCO has been intensively implementing the Cost Innovation 2020 (CI2020) program — a cost reduction program — across the whole company since January. This resulted in saving 240 billion KRW in the third quarter, exceeding this year’s target of 230 billion KRW. POSCO expects to save more than 300 billion KRW by the end of this year through verification of quarterly results in five areas — Raw materials, Facilities, Processing, Budget, and Smart. This enables cost reduction without compromising employee welfare benefits.

It is estimated that the ‘100 Reform Tasks’, which was launched on the 100th day of POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi’s appointment in November last year, generated a financial value of 1.24 trillion KRW. This achievement is significant in that, other than the 240 billion KRW saved via CI2020, it includes 800 billion KRW obtained from restructuring major businesses like LNG and E&C and the readjustment of long-term underperforming businesses.

With its increased premium product sales and cost reduction efforts, POSCO topped the WSD (World Steel Dynamics) competitiveness ranking for 10 consecutive years. Especially this year, POSCO made it on the ‘Lighthouse Factory’ list, which is announced by the World Economic Forum (WEF). POSCO is the first Korean company to be listed here, recognized for its accomplishment in applying artificial intelligence technology at its Steel Works to improve steel productivity and quality. Among the applied technology is the automatic coating weight control of CGL (Continuous Galvanizing Line) and the Smart Blast Furnace. POSCO has been credited as a pioneer of the manufacturing industry — leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution. (See more about the Lighthouse Factory)

■ POSCO’s Strength for 51 Years — Client Companies ‘With POSCO’
In these dark times, client companies mean a lot more to POSCO. POSCO, celebrating its 51 years in the industry, has broken the one-billion record in crude steel production. Working on strengthening shared growth and win-win cooperation with client companies, POSCO has gone beyond just supplying steel products. POSCO has been devising and providing technical solutions to its client companies as well. This technical solution providing service is called ‘solution marketing’. The number of solution marketing tasks for clients this year is estimated to be 260. Among them, 60 cases of solution marketing tasks were for SME clients, showing a 60% increase compared to 38 cases of last year. To drive the growth of not only large clients, — such as shipbuilding, automobiles, and home appliances — but also of SMEs, POSCO catches the VOCs and needs of clients and then supports in developing products and technology accordingly.

■ Benefit Sharing — Reducing Burden And Enhancing Benefits
There is a saying, “If you want to go far, go together.” To put these words into practice, POSCO introduced ‘Benefit Sharing’ in 2004 for the first time in Korea, and is pursuing shared growth with business suppliers. ‘Benefit Sharing(BS)’ is a win-win system where improvement tasks — such as cost reduction and quality improvement — are performed with suppliers, and the resulting benefits are shared as agreed in advance. This year, POSCO and its suppliers have conducted 175 BS tasks, and the resulting benefits are estimated to be 30 billion KRW. This significant number is due to several measures taken, such as expanding task types and rewarding 50% for tasks that failed as well. These measures helped facilitate the participation of suppliers. The number of days required for administrative processing was reduced from 600 days to 190 days.

Additionally, a new “e-catalog system” was launched, allowing suppliers to promote their products freely. In the past, suppliers had to visit POSCO in-person to promote their products. But now, anyone can register product information on the system for promotion — anytime, anywhere. For those suppliers who want to start their first deal with POSCO, there couldn’t be a better way. POSCO received around 4,600 new product information from 850 suppliers through this e-catalog system and signed with 1,020 of them. Also, thanks to regular supplier sourcing, the number of days required for registering was shortened from 144 days to 23 days.

POSCO’s “Business with POSCO” isn’t just about POSCO thriving alone. Instead, POSCO aims to create value together with its business partners and become a corporate citizen, laying the foundation of each business.

■ “Premium Brand” of Steel Products
An interesting story first! A few weeks ago, POSCO built a house using INNOVILT for Korean YouTube star Pengsoo. INNOVILT is POSCO’s premium brand of construction materials launched this year. Using the best technology and know-how accumulated from other businesses like automotive steel and home appliance steel, POSCO has created a construction material brand that is credible to ordinary consumers. INNOVILT acts as a ‘certificate’ — given only to materials made with 100% high-quality POSCO Steel. (See more about Pengsoo House and INNOVILT)

PosMAC and PosART, used in Pengsoo House, are awaiting evaluation to become INNOVILT products. PosART was awarded ‘Innovation of the year’ from World Steel Association (worldsteel) in October, thus proving its value as a premium material. PosART is a high-resolution inkjet print steel sheet, which is a result of POSCO C&C’s inkjet printing technology combined with POSCO’s steel. PosART is capable of printing full-color images of desired images in desired sizes. Since its commercialization last year, sales have increased 37 times in just one year. (See more about PosART)

■ Rapid Strides in Global Infra and New Growth Businesses
In 2019, the steel business struggled, while other POSCO affiliates — including the Global Infra business — were quite successful. In addition to direct involvement in food production, POSCO INTERNATIONAL established a global grain value chain ranging from processing, storage, transportation, to terminal operations. POSCO INTERNATIONAL holds the largest agricultural trade volume in Korea with grain trading volume expected to reach 5 million tons this year — an increase from last year’s 4.37 million tons. POSCO also completed The Ukraine grain export terminal in September before any other Korean company. The annual capacity of the terminal is 2.5 million tons, which accounts for about 21% of Korean grain demand. Another core business of POSCO INTERNATIONAL, the Myanmar gas field, has increased its production from 144.4 billion ft³ last year to 149.2 billion ft³ Q3 this year, after China’s gas pipeline recovery in November last year.

POSCO CHEMICAL has shown tremendous progress this year. POSCO CHEMICAL was created with the merge of POSCO ESM and POSCO ChemTech originally in charge of cathode and anode businesses. POSCO CHEMICAL is strengthening its competitiveness by improving productivity, reducing costs, and increasing sales. This year, POSCO CHEMICAL cathode production capacity expanded to 15,000 tons, an additional 6,000 tons from last year. The anode production capacity expanded to 44,000 tons and added 20,000 tons to last year’s figure. In addition to the existing Gumi plant, Gwangyang and China plants were established to enable growth in the cathode business. While for the anode business, the first phase of the Sejong’s 2nd plant was completed soon after the 1st plant, driving the secondary battery business.

② SOCIETY   #POSCO1% #Volunteer #POSCOConcert #Venture #YouthEmployment

■ 2019 — A Year ‘Filled’ With ‘Sharing’
POSCO’s 2019 in terms of society could be put into these phrases, “practicing sharing” and “cultivating dreams of the youth”. In 2019, POSCO 1% Foundation was active more than ever. 98% of POSCO executives and employees participated in the POSCO 1% Foundation donation — 44% p higher than last year — and it is expected to raise 9.3 billion won by the end of this year. Founded in 2013, the POSCO 1% Foundation has become a representative employee-participating foundation in Korea. POSCO 1% Foundation is contributing to creating a better world, and this year, it has focused on supporting future generations, multicultural families, and the disabled. Some of the programs that have been under progress are as follows — a participatory art program, ‘1% Art School’ ; A science class with experiments, ‘Science Beyond Imagination’ ; Support for immigrants to visit homelands ; Remodelling of welfare facilities for the disabled, ’Space of Hope’ ; and assist devices support for the disabled, ‘Wings of Hope’.

Volunteer activities, which were like daily routines for employees, were reorganized to become Talent Volunteering, which could be of real help to the community. This action was practiced so that employees could provide more meaningful and rewarding volunteer activities as corporate citizens. In addition to the existing volunteer groups, — such as the Clean Ocean, electric repairing, tutoring, and photo volunteer corps — 25 new talent volunteer groups of various sectors including law, landscaping, cooking, and financial education were established this year. Employees are expected to utilize their talents and job-related knowledge in these groups. There are 23 volunteer groups in Pohang, 19 in Gwangyang, and 12 in Seoul, amounting to a total of 2,762 employees this year, which is an increase of about 1,000 from last year. POSCO’s employees spent about 440,000 hours in volunteer activities this year alone, which equals to 17,000 employees participating more than two hours each month.

Meanwhile, POSCO held free concerts for citizens in Pohang, Gwangyang and Seoul. Under the name of “Corporate Citizen POSCO Culture Concert” this year, diverse music genres such as trot, classical, and opera were selected, and the number of performances increased to once a month. Last October, many popular trot singers — like Ga-In Song and Yeon-Ja Kim — appeared on stage, resulting in intense competition for tickets and huge crowds near the venue. The number of audience at this year’s POSCO concert was 36,114 — recording 10,000 more from last year’s 23,749.

■ Supporting the Dreams of Youths And Ventures
POSCO is also making efforts to realize the dreams of ventures and creating jobs for youths. POSCO established the Industry-Academy-Research Cooperation Office and specified its plan to operate the ‘POSCO Venture Platform’, a large scale investment. Venture Valley, supporting venture development, secures incubation centers in Pohang and Gwangyang based on POSCO’s Industry-Academy-Research infrastructure and helps the start and growth of venture companies. Venture fund supports their growth by investing in the Venture Valley companies and promising ventures.

POSCO’s investment and support for venture companies have been going on for quite a while. In 1997, POSCO established POSTECH Technology Investment (former POSCO Technology Investment) to promote venture companies and has been engaging in mentoring and investment activities through the Idea Marketplace (IMP) since 2011. IMP is a venture development program where POSCO conducts training for startups and venture companies. By 2019, POSCO has fostered 379 venture companies through IMP, including 98 direct investments amounting to 16.9 billion KRW. Some companies that received this direct investment were listed on the KOSDAQ, and some received the Presidential Award at the national startup competition.

Also, POSCO is operating a variety of youth employment programs including the ‘POSCO Youth Dream’, which consists of practical job training, an AI and Big Data academy, and a startup incubating school. The number of participants this year was 1,328, an eight-fold increase from last year. 430 of them were employed, and 39 opened own businesses.

③ PEOPLE   #WorkLifeBalance #8-5 #HarmoniousManagement&Labor #BusinessPartners #Welfare #DayCareCenter

■ Work And Life Balance of POSCO Employees
As “Work and Life Balance” has become a critical condition of a good workplace, POSCO also took an active part in fulfilling employees’ balance. Since November, POSCO has introduced an 8 to 5 work schedule (8-5 system) to allow employees to spend their evenings on self-development or with their families.

The 8-5 system is a result of POSCO’s 2019 wage and group negotiation. In addition, the following measures were carried out as well — Basic wage raise ; Maintenance technology incentive raise to improve the conditions of maintenance workers ; Reorganization of job position ; Extension of infertility treatment leaves from 5 to 10 days per year, and partial cost support for employees who are having difficulty in pregnancy ; and extension of limit in children’s educational expenses to reduce burden of employees with two or more children.

■ The “Expert Young Board”
Another new thing at POSCO this year is the ‘Expert Young Board’. The former Young Board was participated by the heads and managers of each department and research lab, but from this year, it has been expanded to employees working in the field — experts who are in charge of operation and maintenance at steel mills. The age limit has also been greatly reduced. In their first meeting with Chairman Jeong-Woo Choi last September, the Young Board freely discussed issues of the steel mill, including solutions for site safety, activating communication between generations, strengthening the motivation of field workers, and so on. POSCO’s first Expert Young Board is expected to be an important communication channel for expanding communication areas and delivering the opinions of the field to the management.

■ The Best Welfare for Business Partners
2019 was also a year that POSCO showed ‘true partnership’ with business partners. POSCO established an integrated operational system to extend the usage of recreation facilities to business partners. As a result, the annual number of days available to business partners increased significantly from 0.4 days last year to 4.8 days this year. To implement this, POSCO secured 350 additional recreational facilities nationwide, including the “With POSCO Residence”, which was used as accommodation for the press at the time of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. POSCO is also working on improving the on-site welfare facilities and office environment of business partners. Following 1,176 locations last year, 786 sites have been further improved this year — all used by POSCO’s business partners.

POSCO is also expanding children’s daycare centers — which is of primary interest for married employees. POSCO plans to build daycare centers that can be used by all employees and business partners from Pohang, Gwangyang, and Seoul. Especially, in 2020, a second daycare center that can accommodate 220 children — 100 more children compared to the first daycare center where 120 children attend — is to be built in Seoul. POSCO has also invested 19 billion KRW in constructing daycare centers in Pohang and Gwangyang for the children of POSCO employees and business partners.

POSCO has also decided to spend 130 billion KRW to renovate dormitories and welfare facilities for employees at the steel mills. It is in consideration that future generations — who will become the main players of the company — must be able to settle more easily. By 2021, the Pohang Works will remodel the welfare center and build a large 700-seat cafeteria. Gwangyang Works plans to build 500 new dormitories and expand the welfare center here. POSCO’s efforts to ensure employees’ work and life balance will continue.

Looking back at 2019, we looked at the achievements that POSCO has made for the year and what meanings these achievements have. POSCO will take strong strides into 2020, creating a better tomorrow and maintaining the harmony of BUSINESS, SOCIETY, and PEOPLE as it always has.