However, despite its reputation as a football-crazy nation, Korea actually had no large-scale, purpose-built stadium until relatively recently. Although the World Cup saw a flurry of stadia built across the country, including the 66,704-seater Seoul World Cup Stadium, POSCO’s Steel Yard predates the lot.

Home of the Steelers

Constructed 12 years before Korea would host the World Cup, the Steel Yard is the home of Pohang Steelers FC, one of the most successful Korean professional teams of all time. The club has won three Asian Champions League titles, five K-League Classic trophies and has bagged the FA Cup on four occasions, with the bulk of the club’s success coming after the Steel Yard’s construction.

Unlike many other K-League grounds, a number of which feature running tracks, at the Steel Yard only a few meters separate the pitch from the stands. This means that fans here get a lot closer to the players – and the on-field action – than anywhere else in the K-League. If you like your football up-close-and-personal, say fans, nothing in Korea comes close to the Steel Yard.

The experience is reminiscent of grounds in the UK, where multi-purpose stadia are rare and football-specific grounds are the norm. The Steel Yard was the brainchild of POSCO founder TaeJoon Park, a keen football enthusiast who founded the club as a company team called the POSCO Dolphins back in 1973.

Grand Debut

The stadium opened to the public in November 1990, with a curtain-lifting friendly between the home team, then known as the Pohang Steelworks Atoms, and a Korea University XI. Fans across the country were wowed by the new stadium, which instantly won acclaim among Pohang residents and visiting away fans alike.

Galvanized by the new stadium and the 17,000 fans it could accommodate, Pohang Steelers went on to achieve great things in the football world, clinching the 1992 K-League title. By the mid-1990s, the club was arguably the most dynamic force on the continent, sweeping to Asian Champions League glory in 1997 and successfully defending its title the following year.

The Steel Yard was not selected as a World Cup venue in 2002 due to the fact FIFA standards judges the ground’s capacity to be too low to host major international matches. This was bemoaned by media professionals and fans alike. Website Football Tripper say the Steel Yard “would have been one of the finest venues in the tournament if it had been chosen” to host World Cup 2002 matches.

Kicking Off

In the early 2000s, the Steel Yard underwent a major facelift, expanding its capacity to the 20,000-25,000 mark, and adding a new sound system, scoreboard and a brand new, ultra-playable pitch.

Again, possibly thanks in part to the upgraded stadium, the Steelers went on a run, taking the K-League title in 2004 and later climbing – once more – to the summit of Asian football.

Few Pohang fans will ever forget the sight of the vibrant Steel Yard urging the team to a thrilling extra time 4-1 victory in the 2009 Asian Champions League quarter-final. The home side’s rivals on the day were a Bunyodkor team that featured World Cup winner Rivaldo and was coached by fellow World Cup-winning manager Luis Felipe Scolari.

The Steelers went on to win the subsequent semi-final, with a 2-0 win against Qatari team Umm-Salal at the Steel Yard. They followed this up by travelling to Tokyo for the final, which they won 2-1 against Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.

International Acclaim

The Steel Yard has won over plenty of fans in the international media in the years since its inception. Writers at website StadiumDB say the ground has a “special meaning to football in South Korea,” while Sydney Morning Herald says it is “is often held up as the best boutique stadium in Asia,” praising its “motivational” qualities.

For football fans keen to experience the Steel Yard for themselves, the K-League season is still going strong, and crowds of up to 16,509 have flocked to the stadium to see Pohang in action. Although the 2016 campaign has been up-and-down for the Steelers so far, there is still plenty to play for, with potential ACL spots up for grabs.

As the K-League comes towards a thrilling conclusion, and with clement autumnal weather on its way, there is no better time than Fall 2016 to head to the Steel Yard and see why the ground is known as the “pride of Pohang.”

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Read on to learn more about these three rising talents from Korea’s national teams.

Up-and-Coming Table Tennis Champ, Jihee Jeon

Since the Seoul Olympics in 1988, China has dominated table tennis with their successive gold medal wins. However, by challenging China, Korea has been able to grow legendary table tennis champions, including Namkyu Yoo, Junghwa Hyun and Seungmin Ryu.

From the emerging group of players, Jihee Jeon from the POSCO Energy Women’s Table Tennis Team is a standout. As a member of the Korea national team, Jeon displayed her prowess in the sport at this summer’s Olympic games.

Jeon, who was born in 1992, used to be a member of the Chinese national junior team but became a naturalized Korean citizen in 2011. She decided to come to Korea because of her desire to play internationally. She was an outstanding player in China as well, but would have had to compete against 30 million players for a spot on the national team.

After arriving to Korea, she has been leading POSCO Energy Women’s Table Tennis Team onto winning major international games. The games she has participated in include the Spanish Open, Czech Open, Argentina Open, Chile Open in 2015, and the Hungarian Open and German Open in 2016.

By placing first and second in all her games and building up an adequate number of points, she was able to qualify for the Olympics by ranking 11th in the world overall. POSCO Energy supported Jeon for her debut at this summer’s Olympics.

Seulchan Lee, Jeonnam’s “Chan-dragon”

Under the leadership of coach Taeyong Shin, the Korean national football team performed with remarkable results during their matches at the Olympics.

Do you remember the player who assisted Hyunjoon Seok’s goal during the pivotal game against Germany? After the 41st minute in the second half, Seulchan Lee served as the hero of this dramatic play by helping Seok score his goal.

Lee is a 22-year-old player who started his career with Jeonnam Dragons in 2012, which is based in his hometown, Gwangyang. He has a long history with Gwangyang, graduating from the town’s elementary, middle, and high schools – and now, ultimately playing for the Jeonnam Dragons in the K-League.

Although small in stature (he is 172cm and 65kg) with a round and friendly face, his ability should not be overlooked. Because of his strong defensive skills, he played as a fullback in the Olympics this summer.

With great determination and remarkable skill, there is no doubt that this will be the last we will see Lee play at a major international event.

A Skilled Striker, Changjin Moon

Known as “a royal prince of coach Taeyong Shin,” Changjin Moon has been acing the field during the Olympic football trials.

The 24-year-old from Pohang who usually plays for the Pohang Steelers as a main striker, is regarded for his offensive skills and precise goal-shooting. He graduated from Pohang Jecheol middle school and technical high school, and played for the Pohang Youth Club. To maintain his hometown spirit, he now plays for the Steelers.

He showed promise as an attacking midfielder during the Olympics this season, scoring goals in warm-up matches against Denmark and Sweden. We will be sure to keep an eye out for his remarkable football skills in future events.

We were only able to catch a glimpse of these three players’ exceptional skills during the games this summer, but with their natural ability, training and hard work, Jeon, Lee and Moon are not names to be ignored in upcoming seasons. Following high expectations, these stars will only become brighter in the time ahead.

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The training program has been carried out by POSCO since 1997, keeping pace with the growth of overseas projects, and aims to imbue a sense of unity and loyalty among POSCO employees. Participants of the program are among the very best employees from each overseas subsidiary.

As of last year, 2,350 staff members from 59 overseas subsidiaries in 22 countries have completed the training program, which has consisted of 76 sessions over a period of almost 20 years.

This year, POSCO emphasized the history of the organization, as well as its entrepreneurial spirit by utilizing newly developed “POSCO’s Entrepreneurial Spirit” and “Sense of Ownership” courses, as well as POSCO GTaLK (POSCO Global Teaching and Learning Kit), POSCO’s unique global standard educational material.

The Best Employee Program commenced with an orientation ceremony and welcoming luncheon. Participants then learned about the history and value of POSCO through lectures and activities, including “POSCO in KOREA,” a new addition to the program which aims to instill a high level of corporate pride in participants.

“POSCO in KOREA” lets employees experience the fruits of POSCO’s labor, as well as the results of its solution marketing first-hand by visiting its landmarks and areas such as Pohang, Incheon and Songdo, where POSCO has left its mark.

Staff members were particularly impressed with POSCO’s efforts for regional development after witnessing the sheer size of Pohang Steelworks, and visiting the Pohang Steelers stadium along with POSTECH.

In Songdo, Incheon, participants were able to expand their knowledge of group companies by visiting POSCO Daewoo and the offices of POSCO E&C. In Seoul, they had time to experience the excellence of POSCO products, which are being utilized in the world-class products and facilities of Samsung Electronics and Lotte World Tower.

“Upon seeing how extensive POSCO’s contributions have been to Korea’s development, we have pledged to become members of POSCO who lead the development of our own respective countries,” noted a program participant.

Starting with this first training session of 2016, POSCO Group University plans to invite approximately 180 employees from overseas subsidiaries over six sessions by October of this year.

Meanwhile, POSCO Group University continues to systematically foster leadership by operating the Leaders’ and Directors’ Course for local staff in overseas subsidiaries.

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 This game ended in the most dramatic way possible; the match-winning goal was made at the final moment, after 94 tense minutes. At two points ahead, all Ulsan needed to claim the crown was a draw, while Pohang had to win the game to claim the title.

Pohang seized move through a free kick in the last minute before the final whistle. From amid a tightly packed penalty area, Pohang Steeler’s Kim Won-il managed to turn the game around with a decisive goal.

The Pohang Steelers also became the first to set the record of a double victory in Korean pro football history. They  recaptured the K-League championship following their last title in 2007 , 6 years ago. This, combined with their victory in the FA Cup in October 2013, made for a monumental record to celebrate the team’s  40^th anniversary.

For the FA Cup final, over 3500 supporters packed into the stadium acting as passionate as they do when supporting on the home side. Backed by solid POSCO support, which has made efforts for long-term Korean football development, together with loyalty from Pohang residents and fans, the Pohang Steelers sealed their position as a football club of presitge, claiming both the FA Cup and K-League titles at the same time.

The Pohang Steelers will continue to move forward to attain the AFC Champions League title in 2014, following their win in 2009.

Meanwhile, in the K-League Classic Award Ceremony, held on December 3, coach Hwang Sun-hong won Manager of the Year, while Ko Mu-yeol won Young Player of 2013. The Best Eleven included midfielders Ko Mu-yeol and Lee Myung-ju, as well as defender Kim Won-il.

With this title, the Pohang Steelers marked the record of winning a total of 4 championships while winning two titles back to back and proved themselves to be the best team in the Korean football league.

In the 24th minute, rookie Kim Seungdae scored the first goal and headed the Steelers into the lead. Jeongbuk defender Kim Kihui then netted the equalizer. As the match ended in 1-1 draw even after extra time, the two teams played a shoot-out.

In this cliff-hanging shoot-out, Pohang’s goalkeeper Shin Hwayong gave an inspired defense, blocking two shots by the first and second players. With his excellent blocking, the Pohang Steelers had a decisive victory by winning 4PK3 and lifted the FA Cup again this year. The hero in this game, Shin Hwayong, earned the MVP award.

 On this day, the stadium was covered with waves in red and black. 53 buses with about 3,000 supporters presented another magnificent spectacle to see.

With this victory, the Pohang Steelers qualified for the ACL (AFC Champions League) in 2014.

Gathering momentum from this victory, the Pohang Steelers are looking forward to completing their double crown with the title in the K-league Classic, in which the club is now positioned in second place,  for the first time in the history of the Korean football league.

Founded as a semi-professional football club, POSCO Football Club in 1973, the Pohang Steelers are now celebrating their 40th anniversary and their mother company, POSCO, is providing full support behind them.

With unsparing support from POSCO, the Pohang Steelers scouted the country’s first foreign player in 1983 and accepted advanced football techniques while making investments to provide good players with a chance to go aboard, and the club itself adopted an overseas advanced youth club system in 2003.

POSCO founded another football club, the Chunam Dragons in 1994 next to the Pohang Steelers, and built the country’s first football stadium, ‘Steelyard’, in Pohang in 1992, as well as Gwangyang Football Stadium in 1992. Since then, POSCO has made a great contribution to the advancement of Korean professional football with its full support of the two clubs.