Plans to expand the collaboration with public and private sectors, including the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Independence Hall of Korea, to Central Asia

On the 13th, POSCO INTERNATIONAL held a ceremony at the Former Korean Provisional Government Office in Hangzhou, China to commemorate the installation of panels at the historic sites of the Korean independence movement.

Attended by Park Hyun-Yul, head of POSCO INTERNATIONAL’s China operations, Kim Jung-Hwa, consular officer for veterans affairs at the Korean Consulate General in Shanghai, and Lee Dong-Wook, head of the Shanghai branch of the Cultural Heritage Restoration Foundation, this ceremony offered a chance to review the newly installed panels and discussed the significance of the initiative.

Undertaken in collaboration with the POSCO 1% Foundation to mark the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation of Korea, this initiative seeks to improve the environment of overseas historic sites of the independence movement. POSCO INTERNATIONAL selected China as the first target, where nearly half of the 1,032 Korean independence movement sites worldwide are located, and installed 55 panels featuring POSCO Group’s high-resolution color steel plate, ‘PosART,’ at three key historic sites.

PosART is a high-resolution color steel plate created by applying inkjet printing technology to steel, offering over four times the resolution of conventional printed steel plates for precise designs.

The targeted sites are historically significant locations where independence activists operated during the Japanese colonization of Korea. These include the Lvshun Japan Guandong Court Former Site Museum in Dalian, where trials of independence activists such as Ahn Jung-Geun and Shin Chae-Ho were held; the Hangzhou Office, where the Korean Provisional Government was active from 1932 to 1934; and the Korean Provisional Government Historical Activity Exhibition Hall, a base for the Korean Provisional Government in 1935.

The newly installed PosART panels offer superior print quality and durability compared to existing ones. They are designed to maintain their quality for an extensive period even under China’s dynamic climate conditions, allowing visitors to better understand the history of the independence movement.

The project was led by POSCO INTERNATIONAL in collaboration with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Independence Hall, overseas diplomatic offices, the Cultural Heritage Restoration Foundation, and Godamad, a signboard manufacturing company. It serves as an example of public-private cooperation in preserving and managing overseas historic sites of Korea’s independence movement.

POSCO INTERNATIONAL keeps expanding its efforts to promote veterans’ culture abroad. Starting last year at the Old Korean Legation in Washington, D.C., the initiative has now reached China and is set to extend to Central Asia in the second half of this year. The company also plans to expand the initiative to 24 other countries with historic sites of independence movement.

“It is meaningful to contribute to improving the environment of overseas historic sites of independence movement on the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation of Korea,” A POSCO INTERNATIONAL official stated. “We will continue to collaborate with relevant domestic and international organizations to expand sustainable preservation activities for cultural heritage.”

Meanwhile, POSCO Group is undertaking various activities to promote veterans’ culture to mark the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation. During the Global Volunteer Week in May, POSCO Group executives and employees, along with local students, made traditional Korean flags using the Korean hanji paper at Ongnyong-myeon in Gwangyang, the birthplace of the March First Movement while also conducting diverse volunteer activities to reflect on the significance of the National Liberation at the Seoul National Cemetery, the Pohang Student Volunteer Corps Memorial, and the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan.

▲ PosART signage installed at the Hangzhou headquarters of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in China.

In January 2024, the POSCO 1% Foundation launched a project in Pohang and Gwangyang to assist multicultural families, particularly Filipino immigrant women residing in these areas who hadn’t visited their home countries for more than three years, in reconnecting with their roots. Let’s take a look at the heartwarming story of multicultural families visiting their maternal hometowns.

In January, the POSCO 1% Foundation launched the New Year’s maternal family’s home visit program in Pohang and Gwangyang so that multicultural families in the area could experience the culture and lifestyle of their mothers’ hometowns. This initiative was specifically tailored to address the needs of Filipino immigrant women, who have fewer chances for family reunions compared to those from Vietnam or China. The primary objective was to establish a support network for the mother’s family so that children could explore their potential and uniqueness while fostering better understanding between spouses. Ultimately, the program aimed to create a nurturing environment for the holistic growth of all family members.

The families’ desperation was deeply understood, leading to a meticulous selection process. Pohang-si and Gwangyang-si Family Center and the POSCO 1% Foundation Project Selection Committee strictly reviewed multicultural families with women who have not visited their home countries for more than three years in Pohang and Gwangyang. Immigrant women shed tears thinking about their families during the assessment. Eventually, six families were chosen. Prior to their trip to the Philippines, they engaged in pre-programs at the family center to develop communication and unity with the families.

In January, the six selected families embarked on a journey to the Philippines to reunite with their loved ones. The faces of family members gathered at the airport were filled with anticipation, and their hands were full of gifts for their Filipino relatives.

Upon reaching the Philippines, families separated for 6 to 10 years tearfully reunited with local relatives and spent a week together as planned. Some attended a sibling’s wedding, while others pooled funds for long-awaited trips. The families, who had been unable to make time for themselves due to their livelihoods, bonded during a week-long tour of Manila and nearby cities, and created lasting memories.

The POSCO 1% Foundation and the family center visited the hometowns of the marriage migrant women, saw families coming together, and experienced the practical realities of life in the Philippines. Local residents warmly welcomed the returning marriage migrant women and expressed gratitude for the support provided by the POSCO 1% Foundation.

The POSCO 1% Foundation prepared surprise gifts such as refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines, and donated them to families as a token of appreciation on behalf of more than 35,000 donors to convey their heartfelt sentiments.

Moreover, the families had a meaningful time to help nurture their multicultural household children into global talents. They toured the Manila Processing Center (POSCO-PMPC) in the Philippines under the guidance of Director Wi-don Kang and met with the director and local staff. During the gathering, Director Kang and the local staff offered meaningful career advice to the children. They emphasized that children from multicultural families in the Philippines, proficient in languages such as English, Korean, and Tagalog, possess a competitive edge as global talents. Furthermore, they highlighted the possibility of these children working for POSCO in the future, even in their motherland, the Philippines.

This trip by multicultural families to the Philippines was not just a mere visit, it empowered marriage migrant women to lead their families during the visit to their homeland and enhance their self-esteem. It also gave their husbands invaluable insights into their wives’ cultural background. For the children, it offered an opportunity to experience their mother’s culture, motivating them to embrace diversity and develop into global talents with a positive sense of identity. Let’s look at the vivid feedback from the families who participated in this event!

]]> https://newsroom.posco.com/en/corporate-citizen-poscos-solution-8-cultivating-the-dreams-of-future-generations/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 17:18:13 +0000 ISSUE  The ‘Dreams’ of future generations

As children grow in height each year, their dreams change year by year as well. What dreams do children have these days?

Last year, the Ministry of Education and Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training surveyed 20,000 elementary, middle, and high school students. The survey showed that the most desired job of elementary school students was an athlete, while middle and high school students wanted to become teachers the most. Among the desired job list of elementary school students, Creator (YouTube, BJ, etc.), which ranked 10th two years ago, rose to third place. Another interesting fact is that beauty designer, cartoonist (webtoon), and baker topped the list of popular jobs.

The fact that children’s dreams change rapidly every year reflects how fast our society is changing. For this reason, vocational education in modern society requires more delicate and detailed plans than ever before. However, universal vocational education for all is challenging in reality. This is especially the case for underprivileged children likely to be in blind spots.

According to a survey of 1,100 elementary, middle, and high schools last year, the teachers in charge of vocational education stated that efforts to consider underprivileged groups, such as multicultural families, were insufficient compared to other factors while establishing the educational plans.

A dream seems something like a vague hope, difficult to have, and more difficult to achieve. It is the responsibility of the older generation to help the future generation specify and realize their vague hopes. Those in an environment vulnerable to fulfilling their dreams need only a little more help than others.

SOLUTION ‘Do Dream’, ‘Chin Chin Rainbow Project’, ‘UNESCO Project for Out-of-school Children’

To ensure that not a single child is excluded from ‘dreaming’, POSCO operates three programs mainly. The first is ‘Do Dream,’ a support program for the independence of children leaving welfare centers. The second is the ‘Chin Chin Rainbow’ project, which provides support for children from multicultural families, and the third is the ‘Out-of-school Children’ project, which offers basic education support for global youths living in harsh conditions.

Do Take Action, Do Dream!

Park, who has lived in a welfare center for a long time, said he suddenly made up his mind while watching his classmates taking exams in their second grade in high school.

“I shouldn’t live like this anymore.”

Although he had always taken the last place in the entire school, he worked hard and was able to enter the Department of Social Welfare at a university he wanted. Park’s dream was to become a social worker.

“I chose the Department of Social Welfare because I wanted to give back as much as I received. Since I was from a completely different background from others, I always worked hard at university as well.”

Park’s grades were good enough to receive a full scholarship, but studying and earning living expenses at the same time wasn’t an easy task. To make matters worse, a friend took advantage of Park’s self-reliance settlement fund, which was given to Park as he left the welfare center. However, Park wasn’t in despair. He took up a part-time job to cover tuition and living expenses, and even went on to graduate school.

Even though Park was more positive than anyone else, a sense of helplessness and despair struck him as hardships in his life continued with no end in sight. Park gave up his dream of becoming a social worker and got a job at a small event company. However, he soon ended up quitting his job and was wandering around. And this was when ‘Do Dream’ lent Park a helping hand.

Around 2,600 children leave welfare centers per year. The National Center for the Rights of the Child carries out various programs with numerous non-profit foundations to support the self-reliance and employment of the children leaving the centers on turning 18, and POSCO’s ‘Do Dream’ is one of these programs.

POSCO 1% Foundation provides up to 10 million KRW per person, including annual education expenses, living expenses, interview preparation fees, and benefits for successful employment, to help the children leaving the welfare centers focus on career development and succeed in finding a job.

POSCO 1% Foundation is a non-profit foundation operated with funds donated — 1% of the monthly pay — by employees and executives of POSCO Group and its partners. The fund is managed as a matching grant, with the company matching employee donations one-to-one.

※ Related Article: POSCO ‘Employees’ Giving Program: “1% Sharing”

While most of the civil support for the independence of children leaving welfare centers are regarding their tuition fees when entering college, POSCO’s program, ‘Do Dream,’ is quite different. The program supports all education that would help in the economic independence of these children, whether or not they go to college. Those preparing to get a job can apply for the program until the age of 26 after leaving welfare centers, and this was the case for Park.

Park decided to realize his dream of becoming a social worker with the support from ‘Do Dream,’ and after submitting several resumes, he finally succeeded in getting a job as a social worker at a welfare center.

“Thanks to Do Dream, I was able to prepare for my job with a comfortable mind, considering only my aptitude and plans. Even after the support ends, I will continue to move further and prepare for the social worker exam as well. Wouldn’t I become a social worker with good influence to change the world then?”

As a measure to help those children leaving welfare centers to not give up on their dreams, POSCO 1% Foundation has expanded the number of recipients from 20 to 35 this year and has also increased 1:1 case management sessions from two to ten times a year. In addition to the support funds, the Foundation carries out other programs that can be of practical help, including special lectures on employment, mentoring, and regional gatherings.

‘Chin Chin Rainbow Project’: For Those From Different Backgrounds

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family operates a variety of youth support policies, including those youths with a migrant background. Under Article 18 of the Youth Welfare Support Act, youths with a migrant background are youths from multicultural families or are North Korean defectors settling in South Korean and require social, cultural adaptation, and language learning support.

POSCO 1% Foundation operates the ‘Chin Chin Rainbow’ program for youths from multicultural and underprivileged families with high growth potential. The program provides vocational education expenses in various fields, such as arts, sports, and IT, and conducts 1:1 mentoring and summer camps. Since 2014, a total of 371 youths have received support, and starting from last year, the number of recipients has been doubled — from the previous 60 — mainly in Pohang and Gwangyang.

Every Child Has the Right to Receive Education – Support Program for Out-of-school Children

POSCO 1% Foundation has been carrying out the ‘UNESCO Project for Out-of-school Children’ since 2018, with a mission to ensure that all children around the world can receive basic education. There are 64 million children worldwide who cannot even go to elementary school due to unavoidable reasons, such as poverty, disability, violence, drugs, child labor, human trafficking, war, and refugees. POSCO is providing basic education and meals, and acting as a refuge for 1,150 Thai and Indonesian children living in these conditions so that they can dream of a new future.

In addition, POSCO 1% Foundation has been operating the ‘1% Art School,’ a program that helps children in Pohang and Gwangyang experience various art activities, and ‘Science Beyond Imagination,’ an experiential science education program. POSCO TJ Park Foundation operates the ‘Vision Scholarship Program’ to relieve the gap of education opportunities in Pohang and Gwanyang, and also a mentoring program for university students, ‘POSCO Dream Camp’.

POSCO’s support for future generations will continue until the day comes of a world everyone and anyone can dream!

Here is an artwork titled “Hide and Seek Red.” One additional information is that the painter of this artwork is someone with an autistic developmental disorder.

“How could he create such an artwork when he has a disability?”

If this was the first question to pop out of your mind, you might be looking at this artwork with the perception that this is an artwork by a “disabled person,” rather than perceiving it as a work of art as it is.

ISSUE Disability artists face challenges to overcome the barriers of perception and the lack of opportunity.

Artists with disabilities carry on their journeys in life, surpassing the challenges of their bodies. However, they still encounter another high wall to overcome — the “matter of perception.” Many people perceive artworks and artistic activities of disability artists as “arts done by disabled persons,” rather than just “arts.”

Arts done by disabled persons is a term defining the act of artistic creation or expression from someone with physical or mental disabilities. Simply put, the term focuses on the disabilities of the performers instead of the activities themselves. Considering the disabilities of the artists before appreciating the artwork for itself, is the wall of perception that many disability artists face.
※ “Hide and Seek Red” depicts a character covering his eyes with one arm and his friends who are hiding, revealing only their faces. According to the artist’s mother, the artist didn’t have many close friends in his childhood. Then who are the friends hidden in the painting?

Another high wall blocking artists with disabilities is the problem of “opportunity.”

Let’s look into the fifth comprehensive policy plan for people with disabilities, issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2018.

The first to third policy plan (1998~2012) for people with disabilities was mainly about ensuring the equality and rights of the disabled persons. The fourth and fifth (2013~2022) policy plan focuses on relieving the gap between the lives of disabled and non-disabled persons. For this purpose, they include details that assert the importance of providing disabled persons with opportunities in education, culture, and sports sectors.

In reality, many disability artists have difficulties attracting the public’s attention, despite their artistic talents, since they lack opportunities to receive proper education or showcase their artworks. According to the <2018 Examination and Research of the Current Condition of Arts and Culture of Disabled Artists>, about 41 percent of disability artists responded that there weren’t enough opportunities to present their artistic activities. The figure is twice higher than the 20 percent of respondents who said, “It’s enough”.

Not only this, disability artists are struggling with publicity as well.

When asked if works of disability artists needed more publicity, more than 85 percent said it was “necessary,” with half of them deeming publicity “very necessary.” Despite such a dire need for promotion, the survey revealed that more than 60 percent of disability artists don’t have accounts for online artistic activities, such as YouTube, blogs, and other SNS channels. Only three out of ten respondents said that they actually engage in online activities.

Amidst the unsolved challenges of perception and lack of opportunities, a new variable has emerged in our lives today — the Era of New Normal. Will the gap between disability artists and non-disabled artists be narrowed in our reality where untact has become the new normal?

SOLUTION Collaboration + Art = CollaboArtion

POSCO 1% Foundation, a non-profit foundation operated with donations — 1% of the monthly pay — from executives and employees of POSCO Group and its partner companies, has devised a new project this year to support disability artists. The project has two objectives: improving the perception of disability artists is one, and putting disability artists on the map with genuine content and influential channels is another. Thus, the new project of POSCO 1% Foundation, “CollaboArtion,” was born.

The “CollaboArtion” project undertakes two programs. The first is providing opportunities where disability artists can communicate with the public through collaboration videos with celebrities. The second is creating personal storytelling videos of disability artists and promoting their artistic talents, which would present them with better opportunities to participate in artistic activities.

In Britain, where disability arts are well-established, there is a term called “inclusive arts.” It is a form of art where disability artists and non-disabled artists collaborate creatively and interactively. The “CollaboArtion” project is also an inclusive art, providing both disability and non-disabled artists with opportunities to improve their artistic level through unbiased and unrestricted artistic activities and collaborations.

POSCO 1% Foundation invited ten teams of disabled artists with recommendations from the Korea Disabled Artist Association: Boo-Yeol Han (western-style painter, developmental disorder), Hun Lee (one-handed pianist, brain lesion disorder), Hwan Park (western-style painter, visual impairment), Sung-Jin Cho (one-handed magician, brain lesion disorder), Yong-Ho Heo (children’s book author, general paralysis), Moon-Jung Choi & Soo-Min Chae (wheelchair dancers, physical disability), A-Ra Ko (ballerina, auditory disorder), Yae-Na Choi (Pansori, visual impairment), Ji-Yeon Kim (rapper, auditory disorder), and Min-Ju Kim (web novel author, brain lesion disorder).

Each team will create two video contents — one original collaboration video and one impressive storytelling video — with 14 celebrities, including designer Hyeong-Cheol Jan, singer Min-Kyung Kang, and YouTube star Big Marvel. All videos are produced by a professional MCN (Multi-Channel Network) company ‘Treasure Hunter.’ The contents will be released on “POSCO TV, ” POSCO’s YouTube channel, as well as the channels of the influencers.

The first collaboration video featuring Boo-Yeol Han, a drawing artist, designer Hyeong-Cheol Jang, and YouTube star Korea Grandma Mak-Rye Park was uploaded on June 25. Boo-Yeol Han is the painter of the artwork “Hide and Seek Red” seen above and the first Korean autistic live drawing artist. The video features Korea Grandma Mak-Rye Park wearing an outfit, designed by Hyeong-Cheol Jang with the artwork of Boo-Yeol Han. The video, uploaded on POSCO TV, gives a glimpse of the life and works of the artist Boo-Yeol Han. Han’s story is delivered directly from him and his mother, presenting the viewers with deep emotions. Starting with Han’s video, POSCO TV will post these very special videos one by one until October.

POSCO 1% Foundation (Chairman Jeong-Woo Choi) launched a new project called “CollaboArtion = Collaboration+Art”. It is expected to attract the public’s attention for disability artists.

POSCO 1% Foundation invited ten teams of disability artists with recommendations from the Korea Disabled Artist Association. Each team has produced two video contents- one collaboration video and one storytelling video to show their talents. A professional MCN (Multi-Channel Network) company “TreasureHunter” and 14 influencers in Korea have worked together through the entire process. These contents are to be released on YouTube channels of both POSCO and the influencers.

The project under the theme of “CollaboArtion = Collaboration+Art,” introduces the following ten teams of talented disability artists: Boo-Yeol Han (western-style painter, developmental disorder), Hun Lee (one-handed pianist, brain lesion disorder), Hwan Park (western-style painter, visual impairment), Sung-Jin Cho (one-handed magician, brain lesion disorder), Yong-Ho Heo (children’s book author, general paralysis), Moon-Jung Choi & Soo-Min Chae (wheelchair dancers, physical disability), A-Ra Ko (ballerina, auditory disorder), Yae-Na Choi (Pansori, visual impairment), Ji-Yeon Kim (rapper, auditory disorder), and Min-Ju Kim (web novel author, brain lesion disorder). To help in the popularization of these artists, 14 YouTube stars (Big Marvel, Sanago, and ASMR Suna) and singers (Min-Kyung Kang and Eric Nam) appear on the collaboration videos. In addition to the collaboration video, POSCO 1% Foundation is to deliver vivid storytelling videos of the disabled artists who have overcome obstacles and pursued their artistic values.

▲ Artist Boo-Yeol Han working on his drawing (Captured from YouTube video)

The first collaboration video featuring Boo-Yeol Han, the first Korean autistic live drawing artist, designer Hyeong-Cheol Jang, and YouTube star Korea Grandma Mak-Rye Park was posted on June 25. And Singer Eric Nam, a presenter in the storytelling video, said, “Through this project, I was able to know the works and stories of the many disability artists working in various fields. I became to truly respect the artists who focused on their works despite the challenges. I hope more people will pay more attention to such artists.”

The next video of Hun Lee, a left-hand pianist and singer Min-Kyung Kang will be posted in July. Pianist Hun Lee, who participated as the artist, said, “This project has motivated me as a disability artist and presented me with pride. I hope many other disability artists can be known to the public through POSCO 1% Foundation.”

Established in 2013, POSCO 1% Foundation has been implementing various support activities that focalize on supporting the future generation, the disabled, and multicultural families under the slogan, “1% Sharing for a Better World.”

※ Storytelling video of artist Boo-Yeol Han

▲ Boo-Yeol Han and designer Hyeong-Cheol Jang working in collaboration

POSCO 1% Foundation (Chairman Jeong-Woo Choi) is promoting a new project called Hope Dream to support customized auxiliary equipment and gear for disabled athletes in Pohang and Gwangyang.

The Hope Dream program aims to support professional disabled athletes who are striving to achieve results despite unfavorable circumstances and discover outstanding athletes. The supports include specialized sports wheelchairs and devices customized for group sports such as *Hangung, *Sjoelen, and *Lawn bowls.

This program was established as an individual program following excellent performance from disabled athletes who received support through POSCO’s ‘Wings of Hope’ program, which launched in 2019. An athlete broke the Korean record at the National Para Games with sports devices provided by POSCO. By establishing this program, POSCO plans to expand its support for disabled athletes.

Application for the Hope Dream program must be handed in between June 15 and June 26. Applicants are to download the application form from the POSCO 1% Foundation (www.poscofoundation.org) and submit it via email (nanum@poscofoundation.org). The final selection will be made based on documents and a visiting inspection.

Established in 2013, POSCO 1% Foundation has been implementing various contribution activities that focalize on supporting the future generation, the disabled, and multicultural families. The foundation operates on a matching fund donated by POSCO employees — one percent of the monthly pay — under the slogan, “1% Sharing for a Better World.” This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, and POSCO plans to contribute high tech support devices to the men of national merit who participated in the Korean War. POSCO is also focusing on carrying out other meaningful programs, including the popularization of disabled artists.

POSCO’s Steel Village project was tabbed by UN as an exceptional illustration of social contribution activity that shifts the paradigm of corporate social responsibility in the global landscape. This is not UN’s first-time recognition of POSCO’s concerted efforts to reform poor residential areas around the world by applying POSCO’s unique sustainable resources combined with advanced techniques. This Steel Village initiative had been previously registered on the UN’s SDG website as ideal and was selected in April as an eminent example by UN during its 50th conference of the UN Population Development Division.

POSCO Steel Village is recognized by the United Nations as an outstanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) project at the UN High-level Political Forum hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On July 18, POSCO introduced its Steel Village project to 193 member countries of the UN, as an implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at the United Nations High-level Political Forum event hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The SDG, also known as “2030 Agenda,” is a collection of 17 international goals established by the UN in 2015 to address social and economic issues worldwide while achieving the prosperous coexistence of humanity by the year 2030.

The Steel Village Project is one of POSCO’s leading global social contribution activities adopting POSCO’s steel and construction methods to create residential buildings and bridges for the underprivileged. Since 2014, POSCO has built 104 steel houses and steel bridges in Vietnam’s poor residential areas. And this year, a steel dome was constructed and donated to a Thai school where students can enjoy sports activities on bad weather days.

The host of this event, South Korean Ambassador to the UN, Tae-yul Cho commented, “The POSCO Steel Village is an authentic representation of CSR activity in the private sector that will shift the perception of developing countries and the global community of CSR activities. Accordingly, a call for active promotion is essential.”

POSCO’s head of external relations Jeong-sik Kwak also added, “It is an honor to share stories to inspire developing countries worldwide with POSCO’s aptitude for creating infinite possibilities despite scarcity of resources.”

On May 25, POSCO’s global subsidiaries in Thailand organized a coral reef rehabilitation project with Royal Thai Marine Corps to help restore Thailand’s ocean life as a part of the ‘POSCO Global Volunteer Week’ initiative. Around 100 employees from POSCO-SouthAsia, POSCO-TBPC, POSCO-Thainox, POSCO-TCS and POSCO Daewoo gathered at a beach near Pattaya and planted baby corals on to the reefs to restore Pattaya’s coral reefs, which have been gradually deteriorating and disappearing due to global warming and pollution. In this project, 315 baby coral plates were molded from cement, sand and water to anchor the baby corals back in their habitat to help them grow safely and organically.

Now in its eighth year, ‘POSCO Global Volunteer Week’ is an annual hands-on volunteer initiative organized by POSCO’s Social Contribution Group, which provides an opportunity for local and international employees of POSCO to take part in various efforts to contribute to environmental preservation and social relief. ‘POSCO Global Volunteer Week’ initiatives include creative philanthropic activities such as teaching English in Indonesia, sending educational materials and nutritional supplements to India’s rural town, and holding fundraising events in Turkey and China.

This year, as many as 62,000 employees from POSCO’s global subsidiaries around 53 countries participated in supporting their local communities.

One day English lesson held in Krakatau, Indonesia on May 27, and nutritional supplements presented to children of Dighi, rural India on 26th.

POSCO-TNPC employees of Turkey making Turkish quesadilla to aid the poor at a charity bazaar on 26th. The same day, POSCO-Japan Tokyo employees supporting the elderly at a nursing home in Japan, and Hiroshima employees picking up trash around Hiroshima Station.

Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel employees participating in the charity bazaar to raise funds for underprivileged citizens. Domestically, employees in Korea freshly decorate decrepit walls in Pohang and Gwangyang.

Beyond these short-term activity-based initiatives, POSCO also engages in more steady and long-term initiatives, such as developing global partnerships for social causes. One example is ‘POSCO 1% Foundation‘, where employees of POSCO and partner companies donate 1% of their monthly salary to raise funds for ‘POSCO Steel Village’. This UN-recognized long-term initiative is designed to build sustainable residences and public facilities using POSCO’s advanced technologies to reform the dwelling of poor neighborhoods by 2030.

As the various social contribution projects demonstrate, POSCO strives to be not only a leading global steel manufacturer but also an active social participant engaged in various global corporate citizenship initiatives to contribute to environmental preservation and social relief.

SDGs are common goals of prosperity and development adopted by the UN in 2015 for the international society to achieve by 2030. There is a total of 17 goals, including eradicating poverty, quality education, good health and well-being, human rights and climate action.

The organization commended POSCO’s initiatives for tackling the housing crisis in its overseas and affiliate communities, and its commitment to improving the quality of life of local residents. Details of the POSCO Steel Village Project will be posted on the UN SDG official website, and if selected as the exemplary case of SDGs at the UN ministerial meetings, the project will be recorded in a permanent document of the UN as an example for other companies and organizations.

POSCO CEO Kwon Ohjoon said, “POSCO will carry out social contribution activities to help realize a better world in the best way we know how. As a global corporate citizen, we will fulfill our social responsibilities by aligning our goals with those of the UN SDGs.”

The POSCO Steel Village Project is a part of the POSCO 1% Foundation which uses POSCO’s materials and construction techniques to build houses, bridges and welfare facilities for people living in poverty. Over the years, POSCO has built steel houses, indoor playgrounds for children and steel bridges for the underprivileged living near its business operations in Korea and abroad.

Cover photo courtesy of the UN.