▲ Source: Seoul National University Library Kwanjeong White Paper (2016)

The main building of the Central Library, located in the heart of Seoul National University (SNU) Gwanak campus, was completed in 1975 with the design from Seung-woo Lee. Built to reflect modernism, which was at its height at the time, the building has been well used for over 40 years without much change. It is not necessary to give many titles such as “The best” or “Having the largest number of books” to SNU’s library since it is a significant place with history, where countless students have passed. However, as times changed, more was expected from the library, and the need for expansion became apparent. Bookshelves were lacking space, and the reading rooms were also becoming too small to provide for all the flooding students. So, in 2013, SNU decided to construct “Kwanjeong Building” as an extension building of the central library.

▲ Source: Seoul National University Library Kwanjeong White Paper (2016)

A Large Open Indoor Space

SNU Library Kwanjeong faced some challenges in its construction — like in all other buildings — since it had to meet the following conditions: 1. The Kwanjeong Building had to be directly connected to the main building, and 2. the central stairway between the library and the student center, and the pathway to the east of the library had to be preserved in its original state. To achieve this task, SNU had no choice but to select the narrow piece of land between the Central Library and the College of Pharmacy as the construction site for the expansion. Instead of initiating the original plan, which was to build the library higher, an L-shaped design plan was selected, covering the right-hand side and upper part of the Central Library. This was a measure to secure the scenic view that stands behind the library as well as to keep with the height restrictions of Gwanaksan Mountain. The construction method adopted here leaves a gap between the main building’s rooftop and the Kwanjeong Building, giving it an illusion — as if a new floor was added to the main building.

The Kwanjeong Building took a horizontally long-form, reaching 165 meters to secure maximum interior space. The floor plan of the sixth, seventh and eighth floors, shows that there aren’t any columns or walls passing through the middle, other than the pillar located near the elevator. The sixth floor consists of a multimedia plaza and a computer lab, and reading rooms are located on the seventh and eighth floor, so these three floors are where many students are likely to use at all times. Since there aren’t any columns here, the students can feel much comfortable and a sense of openness as well.

A truss — weaving linear frameworks into triangular nets to withstand heavy weight — structure reaching 112.5 meters wide is supported by the two core mega columns standing at both ends of the building. In reality, using a long span truss structure in a large scale building is quite rare. The key to realizing this structure is POSCO’s high performance construction steel called HSA 650(High-performance Steel for Architecture 650). With a yield strength of 650 MPa and tensile strength of 800 MPa, HSA650 is capable of supporting a weight of 80 kg per 1㎟. Simply put, the SNU Library Kwanjeong is an architecture where excellent materials meet construction techniques.

▲ The outer wall of Kwanjeong was made with a trapezoidal module curtain wall. For the purpose, the Steel Curtain Wall was selected, since it enables atypical designs and shows higher structural performance compared to other materials.

A Facade Filled with the Lights of the Mountains and Sky

Besides its structural merits, Kwanjeong Building catches the eye with its shining exterior. Tae-Yong Yoo, the architect in charge of the project, mentioned that the concept of the design was about “light” — something that has been and will be existing in the future as well. He said, “I started designing by setting a small architectural element that projects light. And this element was repeated to make up a whole.” His intentions are well displayed on the building facade, the exterior of the building. The exterior wall was built by applying the steel curtain wall and anodizing panels — a plated panel with a film that is produced while oxidizing aluminum surface — in a repetitive manner. These panels were tilted to 16 degrees considering that they highly reflect the strong summer sun. So this exterior wall is capable of reflecting and letting in sunlight at the same time.

[Architect’s Pick : INNOVILT Steel Curtain Wall]

Curtain walls aren’t new to modern architecture. However, due to structural issues, they need to be used carefully in the case of high buildings like Kwanjeong (4.5 meters). Especially if the exterior wall is to show an atypical design, a curtain wall made of steel would be most appropriate choice. In the case of Kwanjeong, the frames of the curtain wall that hold the glass and anodizing panels are slim and neat-looking. This is possible because they are INNOVILT Steel Curtain Wall made with POSCO’s World Top Premium Product, ‘PosMAC’. PosMAC is a ternary alloy coated steel composed of zinc, magnesium, and aluminum. When exposed, the coating forms a highly stable and dense film layer called “Simonkolleite.” This enables the product to demonstrate an extra protective layer — a ternary alloy layer whose density is much higher than that of conventional galvanized steel sheet. PosMAC is 10 times more corrosion-resistant than conventional steel.

The facade was made to reflect the sunlight from early morning till sunset, and relieve the heaviness it might impose on the overall landscape. The spacious indoor area with cores on each side, and the harmony of glass and anodizing displayed on the exterior with a slim well-finished frame might be considered as key features of SNU Library Kwanjeong. And INNOVILT Steel Curtain Wall plays a hidden role behind the scenes here.

The Korea Best Scientist Award, which was established by the MSIP and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies in 2003, is given to scientists and engineers who have contributed to the advancement of the country and improvement of national welfare through their world-level achievements in research and development, and innovations in technology.

On July 13, POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon received the 2016 Korea Best Scientist Award from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP). From left, Nam-ki Hong, 1st Vice-Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning, CEO Kwon and his wife take a commemorative photograph at the award ceremony.

CEO Kwon was credited with improving Korea’s steel technology to one of the highest levels in the world

By introducing high value-added products and commercializing POSCO’s steelmaking technologies at home and abroad, Kwon received the award as recognition for spearheading these projects and establishing Korea as a major player in the global steel industry.

He led the development of new steel products (14 cases), manufacturing technologies (36 cases) and product quality forecasting models (11 cases). Additionally, he furthered research to secure advanced cutting-edge materials, such as the development of automotive high-strength steel.

CEO Kwon has also contributed to the development of domestic-related industries by providing a complete customer-oriented solution that includes assisting with product application technology, financial support and a personalized human solution.

He was highly recognized for providing POSCO with a competitive identity in the global market by leading the development of World Premium (WP) products and its own innovative technologies. He was also recognized for strengthening the foundation for overseas exports of its technologies, and for developing core technologies in new business areas, aiding in the development of future growth industries.

The entirety of the prize money is to be divided and donated, with 100 million won going to POSTECH, the Korea Engineering Academy and Seoul National University, each.

“I’m very pleased to receive Korea’s top science and engineering award as a representative of the steel industry, the traditional smokestack industry. I will strive to continuously improve the competitiveness of the steel industry that POSCO has been focusing on, and also enhance the selling performance of materials and energy sectors,” said CEO Kwon at the award ceremony.

“In order to revitalize the creative economy and help create more jobs, I’d like to donate the prize money, with 100 million won each going to POSTECH and the Korea Engineering Academy, where I am chairman, and my old school, Seoul National University,” he added.

Another recipient of this award is Professor Taek-hwan Hyeon of Seoul National University. He has contributed widely to the field of nanomaterials, establishing the world’s first method for large-scale synthesis of uniform nanoparticles. In 2008, He received the POSCO TJ Park Science prize from the POSCO TJ Park foundation for his contribution to the commercialization of nanotechnology.

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POSCO held its board meeting on February 24^th to announce the nominations for outside and in-house directors. On this day, Ilsup Kim, President of Seoul School of Integrated Sciences & Technologies (aSSIST), Wooyoung Sun, Executive Partner at law firm Seah, and Donghyun Ahn, Professor of Economics at Seoul National University, were named candidates for outside directors. In addition, Jinil Kim, President of POSCO CHEMTECH, Younghoon Lee, Senior Vice President of POSCO Engineering & Construction, and Executive Vice President Dongjoon Yoon, were named candidates for in-house directors.

Outside director candidate, Ilsup Kim of aSSIST, has held previous roles including Vice President of Samil PwC, Vice Chancellor of Ewha Women’s University’s School of Business, and Chairman of Deloitte Korea. Executive Partner, Wooyoung Sun served at various posts including Chief Prosecutor at Uijeongbu and Cheongju district public prosecutor’s office as well as at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office. Lastly, Professor Donghyun Ahn served as Assistant Professor at Korea University’s College of Business Administration, Associate Professor at University of North Carolina, and Financial Strategy officer at RBS.

In-house director nominee, POSCO CHEMTECH President Jinil Kim, joined POSCO in 1975 and has worked as General Superintendent at Pohang Works as well as the Head of Carbon Steel Business Division. From 2011, he transferred to POSCO CHEMTECH and is currently the CEO. Senior Vice President Younghoon Lee joined POSCO in 1985 and has served in many posts including Manager of the Finance Department and Head of the Corporate Strategy Department. He currently is the director of Business Planning at POSCO Engineering & Construction. Finally, Executive Vice President, Dongjoon Yoon joined POSCO in 1983 and has held various positions including Manager of the Business Innovation Department, Head of Global HR, and Director of Business Planning at POSCO Engineering & Construction. He returned to POSCO last year and is currently the Director for Business Strategy.

For the first time since the founding of POSCO, all nominated in-house directors have prior experience working at invested companies of POSCO. As such, it is anticipated that the newly elected board of directors will have more understanding and consideration of each other’s position. Candidate Ohjoon Kwon CEO has prior experience working at the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology of POSCO and Senior Executive Vice President  Inhwan Chang recently returned from his role as CEO of POSCO P&S.

Following a qualification screening and process of eligibility by the Nomination Committee and current Board of Directors, these individuals were nominated as likely candidates to be appointed. They will be officially appointed this coming March 14^th at the general shareholders’ meeting.

President Kwon, “We will work to earn the pride of the Korean people and to continue our contributions to the development of Korea’s economy”

President Ohjoon Kwon (former chief technical officer) was selected as the candidate to be POSCO’s new CEO.

POSCO held a board meeting on the 16th and unanimously carried a resolution to nominate President Ohjoon Kwon as the candidate for CEO, as inside director.

When POSCO CEO Joonyang Chung tendered his resignation on November 15th last year, POSCO held a special board meeting to establish a Succession Council to select the next CEO candidate, and has since been carrying out an in-depth search of candidates for the past 50 days. The Succession Council, comprising three outside directors including Chair Youngsun Lee as well as an inside director, carried out a transparent and fair procedure using multiple search firms to review a broad range of candidates covering both internal and external POSCO Group personnel . Five candidates were selected in the process, and all were suggested to the board of directors on the 15th.

To finalize candidates selected by the Succession Council, and examine their qualifications, POSCO’s board of directors resolved to form a CEO nomination committee made up of outside directors only, on the same day. For independent and strict candidate selection, the CEO nomination committee carried document screening of candidates for two days, on the 15th and 16th, and two interviews, including an in-depth interview. After examining the final qualifications for the eight capabilities POSCO requires of its CEO, including vision, outcome production competence, steel and related industry expertise and leadership, President Ohjoon Kwon was finally chosen as the CEO candidate.

“The entire steel industry, including POSCO, is facing an environment wherein margins are squeezed due to steel oversupply and intensification of oligopoly in the raw materials market,” said Youngsun Lee, POSCO board of directors Chair. “We need someone to reinforce the POSCO Group’s financial stability by promoting a strong reorganization of the group’s business structure, and to ultimately enhance the POSCO Group value in the long run.”

He added, “We selected President Kwon as CEO candidate because we consider him to be the right person to take the initiative in reengineering POSCO Group by enhancing original steel competitiveness through technology and marketing convergence, and fostering long-term company mega-growth opportunities through development of unique new growth technologies.”

Born in 1950, President Kwon graduated from Seoul National University, where he specialized in Metallurgical Engineering, and earned his master’s degree in the same department at the University of Windsor and a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology in 1986 and served as assistant director of the research institute, director of the research institute, and director of RIST, and is currently POSCO’s chief technical officer.

Kwon secured exclusive technological competitiveness by leading development of the company’s “World Best, World First” technologies as a technical steel expert serving as research institute and RIST director, while also playing a key role in securing and maintaining a competitive advantage in technology in the general materials field. Another advantage is his network of global steel companies and global competence through his experience serving as European office head.

Kwon will officially take office as CEO on March 14th, after the regular shareholders meeting and board meeting.

CEO Candidate Kwon’s Thoughts

I would like to thank the directors who have selected me as the candidate to be POSCO’s new CEO despite my flaws. If I am selected as the next CEO after the general meeting of shareholders, I will rally the strengths of all POSCO employees to lead our company to the world’s best competitiveness. I will ensure we do our best to solidify POSCO’s status as a company that makes people proud and contributes thoroughly to the development of the national economy.