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.

For this envisioned high-tech future to become a reality, however, civilizations must first study how we can help our planet sustain life for a longer period of time. After all, if we strip away all the natural resources and destroy the earth’s ecosystem, there will not be a place for humanity to reside, let alone advance its technology.

With many scientific theories stating that the earth will one day become uninhabitable, it is crucial to make as many preservation efforts as possible.

Why “Sustainability” is an Important Concept

Though sustainability has numerous definitions, when discussing the future, the term most often refers to maintaining the planet so that upcoming generations can utilize it.

According to the resolution of the UN’s World Summit on Social Development, the three pillars of sustainable development—economic development, social development and environmental protection—should be interdependent and mutually reinforce one another. These three components can exist only if there is a balance among them. For example, there is no need for a commercial fishing industry if there isn’t an ocean.

In other words, it is crucial to utilize sustainable materials that help reduce our ecological footprint to meet the needs of the environmental pillar of sustainability. Stainless steel is one such material, thanks to its closed-loop production and reuse system.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Stainless steel is a commonly used metal alloy known for its corrosion resistance and recyclability. Its various types and metallic compositions also make it useful in many industries such as construction, healthcare, food and beverage and household products, among others, serving widely applicable purposes. Its ubiquitous usage helps play an important role in creating a sustainable future.

As a readily available and relatively durable resource, stainless steel is not only ideal for manufacturing many different goods and architectural components, but is also environmentally friendly. Though stainless steel has a long lifespan to begin with, it is theoretically 100 percent recyclable, even at the end of its life cycle. Just about any stainless steel object contains an average recycled content of approximately 60 percent!

Because of its high reuse and recycle rate, stainless steel impacts the planet very minimally in terms of initial production and reproduction. In fact, recycled stainless steel doesn’t go through any degradation and stays in a sustainable, closed-loop.

Perhaps in the future, we will all eat food that is stored in stainless steel refrigerators with stainless steel spoons, in skyscrapers built with stainless steel.

Live Long and Prosper

To truly “live long and prosper” (in the famous words of Spock), we must devise a viable plan to develop a sustainable future for both present and next generations. To do so, humans must utilize existing resources such as stainless steel in the least detrimental way possible.

Although common use of starships like the Enterprise might be a bit more futuristic than what the creators of the Star Trek series originally imagined, there is definitely hope for significant technical developments to be made in due time. As long as our planet survives, that is.

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The James A. Van Fleet Award was established by The Korea Society in 1995 to honor the late General James Van Fleet, who was commander of the U.S. Eighth Army during the Korean War. It is given annually to an individual or organization who has contributed to the promotion of U.S.-Korea relations.

The Korea Society, which has made great efforts to improve cooperation and exchange between the two countries in the U.S., presents the award each year at its Annual Dinner.

Past recipients of the award include Secretary-General of the UN, Kimoon Ban (2004), former U.S. President George H. W. Bush (2005), Samsung CEO Kunhee Lee (2006) and former President of the Republic of Korea Daejung Kim (2007).

Notable & Quotable: Korea

‘If the U.S. had not come to the aid of the Korean people, or if we in the South had lost the war, I would not be standing here.’

During the Korean War, Gen. James Van Fleet brought not only an exceptional military record but also leadership of great stature with the highest ideals. He courageously commanded the U.N. troops at the very forefront during the Korean War, with the steadfast goals of defending the people of the Republic of Korea and preserving democracy on the Korean Peninsula.

His own son, Lt. James Van Fleet Jr., also volunteered as a combat pilot but tragically went missing in action during his mission near the Yalu River. Gen. Van Fleet suspended the search-and-rescue operations for his son out of concern for putting additional soldiers’ lives at risk.

Although his son James never made it back home, his noble spirit of self-sacrifice will be remembered forever by those of us with any connection to the Korean War conflict.

In fact, this is the story I read in the social-studies book when I was in the fifth grade in elementary school. That was also my first encounter with Gen. Van Fleet. The name of Gen. Van Fleet has remained embedded in the hearts and in the minds of the Korean people, symbolizing the strong bonds . . . between our two nations.

In today’s modern era where self-centered egoism is often the generally accepted norm, James Van Fleet’s legacy of bravery and sacrifice continues to serve as a valuable moral lesson for today’s young generation of Koreans.

Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Washington, D.C., to visit Arlington National Cemetery and pay homage and tribute to Gen. James Van Fleet and the fallen soldiers who gave their lives on Korean soil.

On a personal note, I was born just 20 days before the outbreak of the Korean War, in a small town in South Korea. One of the fiercest battles in modern history was recorded near the Nakdong River close to my hometown, and this battle forced my family to evacuate southwards. The evacuation trail stretched 200 kilometers or 125 miles, and my parents had a hard time carrying a 20-day-old newborn baby enwrapped in blankets.

I still recall, when I was studying metallurgical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh some 40 years ago, how fortunate and privileged I felt to have the opportunity to come to the United States to further pursue my studies and career ambitions. If the U.S. had not come to the aid of the Korean people, or if we in the South had lost the war, I would not be standing here.

** This content was published on May 20 in the Wall Street Journal.

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