In order to bridge this gap, POSCO Group University and POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) will set out to build an AI ecosystem by nurturing AI specialists and conducting joint research. On February 28, POSCO Group University and POSTECH Information Research Laboratories (PIRL) signed an agreement to work on building a training program for in-house AI specialists in POSCO Group and to promote overall collaboration. Young-joo Seo, the head of PIRL, said, “We will invite the best in AI to train researchers at corporations and produce AI specialists within a short period of time. This will hopefully strengthen the competitiveness of companies and of this country.”

Sun-hee Yoo, director of POSCO Group University Global Leadership Center (left), and Young-joo Seo, head of PIRL, signed an agreement on February 28 to create training programs for AI specialists in POSCO Group.

PIRL was founded in 1991 to conduct research on cutting-edge information and communications technology (ICT). It opened an office in Pangyo last October to conduct research and begin the commercialization of AI and big data; it has also successfully supported startups in related fields.

POSTECH has been a leader in research by showcasing its strengths in AI and big data. It is expected to lead innovation in Korea’s industrial circles by developing AI-based technologies, conducting research, nurturing AI specialists, and making full use of and applying other related technologies in the field. Aside from POSCO Group, POSTECH has also worked with other companies to train specialists and conduct joint research. It plans to create and provide customized training programs for each corporation.

With this agreement, POSCO Group University will be in charge of launching related training programs and beginner courses for POSCO Group and its affiliates, while PIRL will be in charge of developing content for basic and advanced courses to increase people’s understanding of AI, big data, programming, pattern recognition, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. It is the first time that a university in Korea is providing a program to train AI specialists, especially for corporations, and will serve as a significant milestone in expanding cooperation between companies and academic institutions, a fitting move in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Currently, 59 people have completed the beginner course with the POSCO AI program. For the basic and advanced course, 15 employees from POSCO and 10 employees from POSCO affiliates will be selected to participate. If participants successfully pass the four-month group training, task performance course, and six-month advanced course, they will be selected as AI specialists and experience a chance to work in the field.

In order to better equip POSCO Group employees to respond to changes at the group level and increase their awareness on AI, POSCO Group University will add a three-session beginner course. In addition, an AI training course will be available for POSCO executives during the first half of this year.

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That is why POSCO has developed a technical education program that trains local employees to train others, so each foreign corporation can promote the skills and technical personnel that it requires. We call those people seed technology instructors*

From April 25 to 27, two engineers from China’s Qingdao Pohang Stainless Steel Co., a manufacturer of STS cold-rolled products, came to POSCO Group University in Korea for training.

These trainees were selected for a range of talents, including on-site experience and their capability to become instructors. In order to increase the effectiveness of the short, three-day training period, POSCO gave the trainees one-on-one lessons in being a mentor and provided hands-on training in theory and practice, utilizing top-of-the-line educational equipment.

Once their training finished, they returned to China as technical field instructors, where they will teach others the skills that they learned.

Coming up, many more local employees from other overseas locations will also be coming to Korea for training. Employees from Myanmar will come for seed instructor training in July, and others from Vietnam will come in August, plus video lectures for five corporations have been scheduled throughout 2016.

POSCO Technology Education Group will promote seed instructors and lay the foundation to enable international affiliates to implement their own technology training through a variety of ways, including:

• support for textbooks,
• video lectures in technical fields, and
• giving lectures in local offices.

In addition, the Technology Education Group has made 23 English-language technology field textbooks for 15 overseas production corporations, including POSCO Maharashtra (India) and POSCO-VST (Vietnam). At POSCO-Malaysia, they used the English textbook to better respond to equipment failures, and in POSCO Krakatau (Indonesia) they have been using it to improve the technical skills of their local employees.

POSCO plans to actively support the development of local employee skills by creating technical training programs customized for each local corporation.

*The seed technology instructor program selects excellent individuals from POSCO’s global affiliates and trains them to become instructors, so that each of POSCO’s overseas corporations can independently provide technical training to its employees.

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Over 2,300 employees in 60 overseas affiliates have received training by POSCO GTaLK

POSCO GTaLK was developed by POSCO Group University last year to provide systematic support and training materials for overseas employees to strengthen their Human Resource Development (HRD) competencies.

In July last year, POSCO Group University developed 18 essential subjects—including management philosophy, leadership, the steel-making process and product knowledge—required for all POSCO employees, and distributed them to 60 overseas affiliates in three languages, English, Chinese and Japanese.

POSCO Group University has trained 82 local in-house instructors who will teach POSCO GTaLK contents at overseas affiliates. While instructors learned POSCO’s management values and will help disseminate those ideas to each affiliate, employees of the regional Technical Service Centers (TSC) taught about various products to their neighboring affiliates. All told, over 2,300 overseas employees received training from POSCO GTaLK last year.

Marking the anniversary of POSCO’s founding, five new subjects were added to the POSCO GTaLK Program on April 1

The five new subjects added on April 1 were Founding Spirits, Ownership, Understanding Iron and Steel, Stainless Steel (STS) and Coated Steel Sheets.

Among those new additions, Founding Spirits and Ownership are especially notable. “Founding Spirits” is designed to help POSCO employees understand POSCO’s unique spirit and founding philosophy of contributing to national economic development by means of steel production. “Ownership” has customizable contents that reflect the training needs of the various overseas affiliates.

POSCO Group University plans to distribute the contents to each affiliate via email first and then upload on the HRD Portal later. Moreover, by June, an additional five leadership-related subjects will be developed and distributed to global affiliates, as a package along with teaching plans and instructor manuals. After the introduction of all these new units, POSCO GTaLK will consist of 28 subjects in three categories: POSCO values, product knowledge and leadership.

POSCO Group University is focused on spreading POSCO’s management philosophy by strengthening training programs at overseas affiliates. In addition, it plans on providing special training guides for local instructors to enable them to directly operate new employee and job training programs in regional affiliates.

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Since July, POSCO Group University has visited overseas affiliates in China, Japan, India and Vietnam   to operate the “Program for New Leaders” and the “Internal Instructor Fostering Program” based on its Global Teaching and Learning Kit (GTaLK). As POSCO expands its global businesses, the steelmaker is conducting the systematic global talent program across group levels, allowing all members of POSCO Group to receive equal growth opportunities regardless of their company or nationality.

Selected employees from 35 overseas affiliates in six countries including China, Japan, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, attended the “Program for New Leaders” and “Internal Instructor Fostering Program,” which were conducted for the first time. Employees working at local affiliates of POSCO E&C, Daewoo International and POSCO ICT also received the training.

“Program for New Leaders” is designed to provide practical assistance for new leaders to establish goals and properly implement leadership roles. Eighty-two local employees who completed the program learned about POSCO’s vision and history, as well as the roles and responsibilities of POSCO Group leaders and management skills needed in leadership roles.

Employees at POSCO-Maharashtra celebrated their completion of the New Leadership Program, which ran for 3 days from October 5.

The 59 local employees who participated in the “Internal Instructor Fostering Program” will soon be responsible for conducting various internal trainings including those focused on POSCO Group’s management philosophy and headquarter policies. POSCO Group University will foster 25 additional local internal instructors in cooperation with POSCO-South Asia, POSCO-America and POSCO-Mexico by the end of this year, and plans to award excellent instructors.

In addition to the training programs, POSCO Group University created GTaLK, a series of educational materials and online lectures on 18 subjects such as value sharing, leadership, management and product knowledge. GTaLK has been distributed to 60 overseas affiliates in three languages—English, Chinese and Japanese—and is expected to play an important role in strengthening core competencies and enhancing local affiliates’ own training programs.

The Global Teaching and Learning Kit (GTaLK) centers on 18 subjects that are essential to strengthening the core competencies of employees working for overseas affiliates.

Here’s what a few POSCO employees had to say about the company’s training programs and kits:

Yang-dong Park / POSCO-JAPAN
“Participating in the new leadership program was a valuable experience for me to equip myself with basic competencies as a POSCO Group leader and to reevaluate the role of leaders. I will strive to become a leader who can be a role model to subordinates. ”

Chiranjeev Maini / POSCO-India
“After completing the internal instructor fostering program, I could feel the sense of unity as one of POSCO Group’s members, and gained confidence as an instructor. I will actively perform my role delivering POSCO HQ’s management philosophy and policies accurately and effectively.”

Santitad Paimai / POSCO-South Asia
“This program helped me to better understand POSCO HQ’s global training policy. The English version of the latest training kit will be helpful in teaching as an internal instructor in the future.”
POSCO Group University plans to expand its global training infrastructure to foster superior global talent who will lead the future growth of overseas affiliates through close operation with overseas representative affiliates.

KPSE.SI offers jobs to the youth in three villages—Samangraya, Kubangsari and Tegalratu—in Cilegon, where the Krakatau POSCO steel mill is located. These areas in particular boast a high unemployment rate, so the creation of jobs is essential for these residents’ financial independence.

Once selected, trainees of the program perform environment management tasks such as recycling resources and managing the drainage channel at the steel mill for six months. They also participate in competency enhancement training programs such as computer training in their spare time and on weekends. Upon reaching a certain level of competency, they are usually transferred to a more stable and professional job.

Over half of the first batch of trainees were hired at the affiliate companies of Krakatau POSCO. The second batch of 26 trainees is currently receiving training provided by KPSE.SI in hopes of procuring the next available jobs.

A representative of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation noted, “The KPSE.SI case is considered a successful business model in that POSCO’s global corporate social responsibility business is creating jobs in local communities while improving the quality of environment management at the same time.”

The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation is a non-profit organization that is financed by the donations of POSCO employees who contribute 1 percent of their monthly salary. The organization aims to improve the social welfare of socially neglected people, the independence of local communities in Korea and around the world and the preservation of traditional culture.

It is rightly said that winning teams don’t just form overnight.

Organizations invest a huge amount of time and money into their employees to develop teams with high potential by hosting continuous training programs and skill-building activities. Organizations competing in the global marketplace often implement strategic human resources programs, innovative employee engagement activities and reward and recognition practices. In today’s world, the main reason why companies implement such initiatives is to develop the core competencies of their employees at various levels. Companies do this by encouraging interpersonal and cultural sensitivity, developing individuals, managing skills and increasing the motivation of team members, which in turn enables managers to communicate with team members constructively and effectively.

Considering this scenario and the need for development, POSCO-India, a fully owned subsidiary of POSCO, in partnership with Korea and representatives of POSCO’s family companies in India, took its first initiative in October 2014 to develop an education structure for employees based on their hierarchy and levels in POSCO family companies.

The structure was designed after conducting a thorough analysis for 45 days through various face-to-face interviews, surveys and interactions with employees from eight POSCO family companies. The survey outcome was further discussed with POSCO Group University in Korea to develop a Common Education Structure for POSCO family companies in India that will also align with POSCO’s global education structure. POSCO-India identified three categories of training based on improving business performance, competency-based learning, developing leadership skills and aligning with POSCO’s core values.

The following were the three different categories and courses:

a. Leadership Course
Team Leader Course, Labor Management, Effective Coaching
b. Common Course
POSCO Values sharing, Business Etiquettes, Basic Discipline
c. Job Course
Technical Training, Negotiation Skills, Time Management

For any organization to evolve and sustain in the long run, team leaders and managers need to be aligned with their roles and responsibilities, ethics and values, and people management skills at different levels. POSCO-India realized this opportunity and introduced its first leadership competence course for POSCO family team leaders in December 2014. The course was held at Pune for three days from Dec. 14 to 17, enabling participants to gain an in-depth understanding of a team leader’s role in POSCO and educating them on how POSCO leaders handle critical situations. Thirty-three team leaders from eight POSCO family companies participated in this course.

This overall course emphasized an in-depth understanding over five topics:

1. POSCO Management Philosophy & Core values
2. Appreciation Culture
3. Role & Responsibility of a POSCO Leader
4. Personality assessment profiling
5. Situational Leadership, Emotional intelligence & Handling Conflicts.

Participants who attended the course were given a completion certificate duly signed by POSCO-India’s chairman and managing director. The three-day course was concluded with a group photo and a ceremony to thank the participants.

Subsequent to the successful completion of the team leader course in December, POSCO-India launched its second leadership competence course for managers on the topic of “Labor Management and Industrial Relations” at POSCO-IDPC in Bawal, Haryana in January. Labor management and relations is one of the most sensitive topics and is a major area of focus for organizations dealing with a variety of people. Taking the overall initiative forward, various courses from all three categories will be introduced for employees in the coming months. POSCO-India is collecting nominations for employees for the next six months from all the family companies who will participate in the courses throughout the financial year. This will give employees an opportunity to participate in each course and also gives a chance to team leaders to nominate their team members depending on the current training needs and their development areas.

With POSCO-India’s firm belief in human resource development and as representative of POSCO family companies in India, we hope to successfully move forward with our vision to develop a strong education structure and promote leadership, which will lead to more successful stories for POSCO globally.

POSCO hosted Best Case Presentation session of POSCO TRIZ on the 6^th of November. POSCO and PTA (POSCO group TRIZ Association) participated in the event, which was themed around ‘Creative Thinking with TRIZ’. Among the 260 TRIZ utilized project cases, 2 Grand Prize cases and 4 Runner-Up Prize cases were selected through two different preliminary selection process.

POSCO has established TRIZ University in 2010 to provide structured training programs for its entire employees in order to provide improvement in creativity capabilities. The employees has been sharing their successful cases at an annual presentation for projects of excellent results.

POSCO has implemented project-oriented working method this year, establishing their unique innovation model called POSTIM (POSCO Total Innovation Methodology) and replacing it with unified methodology. TRIZ has been used as a tool to provide creative solution to solve technical difficulties within its frame.

Also, Corporate Project Management Department will be supporting this through following activities: providing creative solution related to future corporate cost-reduction, and reducing risk through preliminary verification of ideas using computer simulations.

POSCO’s Strategic TRIZ Methodology

POSCO set-off an insight that problem-solving logic and algorithm of TRIZ can be applied to business category and has been brainstorming about harmony business strategy and TRIZ.

Value of Strategic TRIZ comes from 1) how it develops algorithm that can provide several effective solutions on specific problem, 2) the fact that anyone can easier use it, and 3) how it provides creative ideation method and logical procedure in strategy establishment and business contradictory problem solving by combining traditional strategy and a thought process.

POSCO is now moving one-step forward from strategic TRIZ on to creating process that solves business strategic problem with TRIZ and eventually developing it into ‘POSCO-type Strategic TRIZ Methodology’.

Excellent Cases of ‘POSCO’s TRIZ Application’

[Best Example] Development of Wireless Power Transmission Technology for Cylinder Sensor

–Lee, Ki-bum/ RIST Team Leader

Problems to Solve

In a general steel mill, there are two types of rolling process for a slab: hot rolling and cold rolling. In order to roll a slab, there are spins connected between spins and the rolling mill.

As the motor spins the rolling mill, the mill rolls the slab and creates a torsion which damages the spins. To prevent this from happening, it is possible to attach a strain gauge sensor, the torque sensor, on the surface of spin to diagnose the torsion status. However, the spin continues its circular motion even with the strain gauge sensor which makes it impossible to supply power to the torque sensor. For a consistent monitoring, wireless energy transmission technology could be an alternative solution. As a part of this technology, electric resonance method enables wireless power transmission to the rotating body that is 30cm distant from the power source.

However, a recieving coil attached on the spin for wireless power transmission experiences centrifugal force due to its large size. In order to reduce the centrifugal force, it was attempted to reduce the size of the coil but it caused a contradiction by also creating a decline in the receiving rate. Therefore, TRIZ method was applied to discover a solution to reduce the size of the receiving coil and its tie bar.

Problem Solving Result of TRIZ Method

As a result of various TRIZ method research, it was able to reduce 85% of the frequency shift even when the tie bar was shortened. Also, by applying pattern layering and wave method, more than 30% of the size of the receiving coil was reduced.

The rotating body wireless power transmission system can be used in thick plate, hot and cold rolled steel sheet roughing mill and finishing mill spindle diagnostics. Also, the system is applicable on diagnostics of chatter mark which occurs to hot and cold rolled steel strip.   

[Best Example] Bloom Continuous Casting Machine Claim Reduction and Strand Extracction Improvement 

– Kim, Sung-jul / Research Institute Senior Researcher

Problem to solve

Continuous casting of different grades of steel is a casting method for each different steel grades in a same tundish. Because the areas of blended ingredients that result from this method cannot be retailed as quality products, they are processed as scraps or redundant members.

Since the 4-Bloom continuous casting machine does not have a system that predicts the blended areas, every 12m of a strand has been truncated en bloc. As a result, each process of different grade casting generated 150 tons of scraps. Despite the excessive truncation amount, claims for ingredients of strand products processed through this casting method.

The problem is that if the truncation amount is increased, the claims will decrease but the strand extraction rate will decrease as well. On the other hand, if the truncation amount is decreased, the strand extraction will increase, but the claims will increase as well.

Problem Solving Result of TRIZ Method

According to the analysis on the length of 4-bloom continuous casting mixer, there are differences depending on the strands but they did not exceed a certain length. In other words, if the length of various mixers depending on each processing condition, claims can be reduced and the shortened length for truncation will lead to a situation where extraction rate can be raised.

The very first step of the TRIZ method was a thorough analysis on the cause of the phenomenon and on available resources. The reason for an inaccurate prediction on the mixer and the phenomenon of mixer’s long appearance were thoroughly analyzed. As a result, eight core problems and eight concept solutions for the corresponding problems were concluded.

Furthermore, specific solutions for the eight concept solutions were suggested. The suggested solutions are practical and effective because of their imminent applicability and capability to utilize the existing resources without any capital investment.

In steps of the TRIZ method, the actual situation was reflected for a better prediction for the mixer and established a new forecasting system by utilizing a real-time operation data. When the detailed solutions drawn by the TRIZ method were applied to different steel grades processes, it was successful in both reducing claims for the bloom continuous casting machine and increasing the strand extraction rate.  

[Excellent Case] Drastic Decrease in Working Time for Covering Work Using Water 

– Kim, Seung-Moon / Raw Material Technology Development Team, POSCO

In order to solve two following solutions, water is used for its readily-availability as natural resource: Gunnysack is not suitable for fixing and covering the materials and takes-up too much time manufacturing. Therefore, this can drastically decrease working time and evolutionally increase effectiveness of the covering work.

[Excellent Case] Cost Reduction through Internal/external Steel Structure Unification 

– Kim, Ah-rem/ POSCO A&C

Potential problem caused by temperature change that could occur when modular construction method is applied in Russia and other arctic region was improved through a new idea called ‘Unification of Internal/external steel structure’. In fact, company could achieve 39% cost reduction in comparison to an existing panel.

[Excellent Case] Advanced Supporting Capacity of Electrode Bar through Reverse Thinking 

– Lee, Jae-min/ SNNC

Electrode bar in electric furnace is a crucial function supplying heat to the furnace, therefore, rupture of electrode bar leads directly to revenue loss. With reserve thinking, company could improve supporting capacity of electrode bar and minimized weight of electrode bar placed at bottom part, achieving decrease in electrode bar breakage by 64% using electricity.

[Excellent Case]  Continuing Undersea Tunnel Project with Strategic TRIZ 

– Kim, Sang-min / New-Business Development Team 

TRIZ can not only be applied in technology (IT) area, but also in strategic area. Company could come up with an effective countermeasures using strategic TRIZ for complicating business structure of the undersea tunnel project that connects KwangYang and YeoSu, saving the project from foundering.

On October 15, OECD and the Ministry of Employment and Labor co-hosted a conference on ‘Employment and Skills Strategies’ in Korea. At the conference, POSCO announced a report on its management result and the best practice cases of POSCO’s National Human Resource Development (HRD) Business, under the title of ‘Mutual Growth Through Talents Cultivation for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)’. As POSCO continues its history of being nominated as the Best Consortium Education Institution and the chair of the Council for Shared Growth Human Resources Training for seven consecutive years, we would like to introduce you today about what POSCO is offering for the National HRD Consortium Business.

National Human Resource Development (HRD) Consortium Business
As a crucial company that has been influencing the national economy since the 1960s, POSCO has been conducting its social responsibility by responding to the government’ request on Korea’s human resource development and SME cultivation with HRD Consortium department starting from 2005. The National HRD Consortium Business is a platform that major companies with excellent education infrastructure supply free trainings for employees of SMEs that are relatively short in learning opportunities. As an exchange, the government provides partial expenses to the major companies that operate the National HRD Consortium Business. With outstanding education content, the latest facilities and the 40 years of know-how, POSCO has been leading the nationwide consortium business.

Training Curriculum: From Recruitment to Retirement
Currently, POSCO is providing total 130 courses under the categories of technology, safety, IT, and ethics. Customized for each trainee companies, the courses provide a wide range of lectures from technical education for newcomers to E-MBA curriculum for executive members and even ‘Green Life Design’ program for prospective retirees.

Methodical Development of Talents for SMEs
Not only are the education trainings provided but also education consulting, systematic on-the-job training, learning systematization and many more programs are offered in order to implement appropriate solutions to reinforce the trainee company’s competence. The ‘S-On-the-Job Training’ is a program that supports systematic skill development, especially the program focuses on each corporation’s own necessity at the site. Also, the learning systematization is a business model that is designed to share the practical knowledge and know-hows that only the on-site workers could possess. Through these training programs, POSCO supports its hundreds of trainees to learn essential techniques and progress autonomously as they return to their work fields.

Cultivating Professional Talents and Field Oriented Skills

The ‘Corporation University’ and ‘Work·Study Parallel System’ have been operating since their launch this year. A long-term curriculum for prospective hires or current employees, the ‘Corporation University’ curriculum even supports those without undergraduate degrees in order to nurture them as highly skilled professionals through intensive technique trainings. The ‘Work·Study Parallel System’ is a government program created in 2013 for corporations to hire job applicants as learning employees in order to systematically train the requisite talents for the corporation. After completing 1~4 years of the training programs and assessment process, the learning employees are translated into full-time employees. With current registrations from 112 people of 21 partner companies, POSCO will develop curricular that are apt to each company’s demand and initiate the curricular starting next year.

Donghoo: The Best Practice Case of POSCO’s Human Resource Development (HRD) Business
Established in 2010, Donghoo was a start-up company that provides advanced steels for energy to POSCO. To produce these steel products, craftsmanship and technical skills are essential qualities for employees. However, due to the fact that 80% of their total employees are considered novice, stabilized operation of its factory seemed somewhat difficult. In order to amend the condition, Donghoo participated in the POSCO’s HRD Consortium Business. Their newcomers started with POSCO’s 3 months program and continued to receive organized education to advance as professionals. Donghoo’s consistent endeavor on education evidently appeared as an apparent growth in their management index. In addition, the training programs have granted faith and confidence, which are much more valuable asset to Donghoo. According to Kim Yong-soo, the CEO of Donghoo, they will continue to actively utilize the curriculums of the HRD Consortium in the future for further progress.

Since POSCO is fulfilling its social responsibility and SMEs are learning beneficial trainings without any cost, the HRD Consortium is truly an innovative and productive system that seems to be critical to building national competence in the future. As the Best Practice organization of the National HRD Consortium, POSCO will continue its role as an educational infrastructure that contributes to consistent and shared growth of the 21^st century.

It’s a pleasure and an honor meeting you today. Could you briefly let us in on your career at POSCO?

I joined POSCO as the Head of the Global Leadership Center in March 2012 to manage the training programs for new/experienced employees and overseas resident employees in addition to operating G-JEDP (Global Junior Executive Development Program). To give proper training, it was essential for me to learn POSCO’s history and culture as quickly as possible.

When did you feel the most challenged as a female employee? And what did you do to overcome those challenges?

As a career woman, it was not very easy to keep a balance between work and life. It kind of became a routine of mine to bring some work home to finish it instead of spending time with the family. But my family understood my situation and gave me their full support. I also tried to be there for them both mentally and physically whenever I can.

When I first started working, it was difficult for me to find an appropriate mentor who would provide advices and feedbacks for my career development within the company. But I kept a firm belief in myself and paved my own way to continuously move forward.

Have there been any moments when you felt grateful to your colleagues?

Most importantly, I’m grateful to senior colleagues who gave me the opportunities to work with them and full faith in me. I also want to thank junior members, who have done terrific job without a complaint. Moreover, I’m thankful to POSCO for giving me a chance to re-launch my career here.

When I think about the times I have spent here at POSCO, it seems that every little thing that happened to me now and then was meaningful. Just like the little stars come together to form a constellation, all the experiences I’ve had at POSCO made me who I am today.

You have set a tremendous example as a female leader. What do you think are some of the strengths that only women have?

I reckon that our soft, delicate, warm personalities and our ability to be flexible and sympathetic can be our advantage.

Are there any advices that you would like to give to your female junior employees? 

Don’t try to do everything on your own. Ask for help.

Don’t give up your dreams easily. In our lives, there are big changes like marriage, childbirth, raising kids, and there can be problems at the office. They could be tough to overcome. But don’t try facing and solving all the issues by yourself. It will get you nowhere. It will just leave you completely exhausted and alone. Ask for help. Ask your family, colleagues and seniors to help you. They are more experienced and have more wisdom to guide you through tough times.

Most of all, it is important to know that female employees have their own capacity that differs from their male counterparts in certain areas. Instead of turning a blind eye on your abilities and advantages as women, put some efforts into embracing the differences so you can utilize your unique skills and make up for your weak points as women.

Could you share your ‘Know-Hows’ for communicating with colleagues?

Be like their god-mother and take care of them. Embrace them.

My juniors often call me their ‘Godmother.’ I try to give them my attention and care for each and every one of them. That’s why I have learned how to use the buzzwords and some emoticons when communicating with my juniors through SNS. On the top of that, I also send friendly e-mails or text messages to compliment, encourage and give advice to the young colleagues. My favorite way of communication is, however, speaking to them face-to-face so I can easily show my emotions.

As a respectable member of society and POSCO, what are the essential attributes and attitudes you would suggest your fellow members to have?

Be passionate in what you do. Enjoy your life. And a positive attitude would be the cherry on top.

I think it is essential have special love for POSCO. As we all know, POSCO is the company widely beloved by Korean people. And being engaged with the company to make POSCO into a top-notch organization are vital as well. To do so, we need to possess challenging spirits and willingness to oblige our duties and responsibilities. At the same time, enthusiasm and professionalism to be the best in your field is important. But please bear in mind that all of these should come with an attitude to enjoy life to the fullest and a positive attitude.

Thank you very much for today’s interview. As for the last question, please tell us about your future plans and dream.

I want to develop and renovate the Corporate Future Creation Academy to meet the global standard so that we could train highly talented individuals. I personally believe that the achievement we can gain will lead POSCO and its affiliates to be the finest of all in the field. To this end, I’ll be doing my best in everything that I do here.