It all started 49 years ago in a small fishing village on the East coast of Korea and has grown to be the fourth-largest steel producer in the world.

A Small Fishing Village with 39 Employees

To help rebuild the country after the end of the Korean War, President Park Chung-hee made steel production and heavy industry the centerpiece of his Second Five Year Plan (1967-1971). Despite there being no steel industry in Korea, President Park wanted to be able to manufacture steel domestically without relying on imports and foreign technology.

Opening of POSCO in April 1968

In 1965, President Park visited Pittsburgh, PA, where he gained insight into the steel industry and what would be required if Korea were to develop its own independent production facilities. One year later, Korea International Steel Associates (KISA) was formed. KISA included a consortium of eight companies from five different countries whose goal was to help Korea start its own integrated steelmaking facility. By 1967, the government approved a plan from KISA that included a basic agreement on technology & funding.

Pohang, a small fishing village on Korea’s eastern coast, was chosen as the official site of the steel mill. POSCO was officially incorporated on April 1, 1968, as a joint public-private venture with just 39 employees. Park Tae-joon came on board to serve as CEO and by May 1968, construction of POSCO’s headquarters had begun.

In May 1968 the POSCO headquarters construction had begun

Setbacks to Success  

Despite the steps taken to move Korea’s steel industry forward, there were many setbacks along the way. First, overshadowing each step of its development was the skepticism coming from both foreign and domestic fronts. Foreign investors could not understand why Korea would expand into industries it had no history with. And local leaders doubted their ability to overcome all of the technological, economic, and infrastructural hurdles facing them. To make matters worse, KISA was disbanded in September 1969 – leaving plans for POSCO up in the air.

Korean President Park Chung-hee was instrumental in getting POSCO off of the ground. Here he is at one of the blast furnaces at Pohang Works. (1976)

Determined to complete the project, President Park began negotiations with Japan who later provided the grants, loans, and technology for the construction of the initial plant. Construction of the steel mill started in 1970 and on June 9, 1973, at 7:30 am, the first steel came off of the line. By April 1974, they had decided to expand the capacity of the third furnace at Pohang Words to 5.5 million tons and the fourth furnace capacity was increased to 8.5 million tons.

Expansion

Because of POSCO’s early successes, the Korean government decided to build a second facility on the peninsula’s southern coast in Gwangyang. After the completion of the fourth phase of construction at Gwangyang, POSCO had a total of 20.8 million tons of crude steel production capacity. Of that total, Pohang was producing 9.4 million tons with Gwangyang producing 11.4 million tons. It earned the distinction of being the world’s largest steel mill and POSCO become one of the main driving forces behind the industrialization of Korea’s economy.

After its completion, Gwangyang Works was the largest integrated steel mill in the world. (1992)

In 1986, POSCO entered into a 50/50 joint venture with US Steel (UPI). Their partnership was set to develop a comprehensive modernization program that would upgrade the processes and equipment of the facility. Since the establishment of USS-POSCO Industries (UPI), POSCO has continued to branch out all over the globe. It has set up STS production plants at Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel (China) and POSCO Tai Knox (Thailand), and automotive steel plate production lines (CGL) in Mexico, India, and China. PT Krakatau POSCO was built in 2013 and was the first integrated steel mill in Southeast Asia.

POSCO Becomes the Most Competitive Steelmaker in the World

By 2014, production capacity had increased to 37.7 million tons. Pohang now has three heavy plate mills, four cold rolling mills, five blast furnaces, heavy plate mills, and four hot rolling mills. Beyond its scope and production capacities, POSCO is committed to developing advanced, high-quality World Premium Products. In addition, POSCO’s innovations in other industries, integration of smart factory technologies into the production process, and its commitment to local communities continue to push POSCO forward.

Advanced World Premium Products

With a focus on advanced steel solutions, POSCO has developed a wide range of products that can be customized to fit a customer’s unique needs. These World Premium Products are the reason POSCO has been listed as the most competitive steelmaker for seven years in a row. For example, PosMAC has been utilized in many different ways from floating solar cells to durable public art pieces. Also, POSCO’s award winning PosCozy floor plates provide soundproofing and heat insulation.

The hot rolling process at Gwangyang produces 3,400,000 tons per year

Lithium Extraction & Other Ventures

POSCO has also strengthened its global competitiveness by accelerating new businesses in the materials and energy industries. POSCO has developed a fuel cell plant that was completed in 2008, a Myanmar gas field that produces 500 million cubic feet of gas each day, and lithium extraction technology that is 10 times faster than previous methods.

Solution Marketing

In addition to manufacturing advanced, high-quality steel, POSCO’s Solution Marketing provides customers with added technology solutions and commercial support. Instead of just supplying products and stepping away from the customer, POSCO works with its customers to create customized solutions that ensure successful implementation. Partnering with manufacturers early on in the production process, POSCO has stepped beyond its role as a steel supplier and now serves as a solutions provider.

Smart Factory Technology

POSCO also incorporates cutting edge technology and innovations into its production processes. At its automotive steel plate factory in Gwangyang, POSCO introduced AI technology into its coating weight control system, improving quality and reducing waste. Also, POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon remains committed to developing more smart factory solutions and has been meeting with executives of other companies, such as GE and Siemens, to explore partnerships and best practices.

President Park Chung-hee comes to POSCO to celebrate the opening of Pohang Works

Someone seeing the successes of POSCO today might have a hard time understanding how it even started, much less how it was able to overcome the immense barriers it faced. POSCO continues to be a leader in the steel industry with its advanced, high-quality World Premium Products. Also, POSCO’s successes in its non-steel ventures show its commitment to remaining on the cutting edge of technological trends and industrial innovation. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq574Ivp7c0

One hundred twenty members of Beyond and 58 employees of the POSCO Group are laying bricks until January 17 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Tan Hoa community as part of the POSCO Village construction project.

A total of 180 volunteers from Beyond, POSCO’s university student volunteer group and the POSCO Global Volunteer Group participate in the “Vietnam POSCO Village” project at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Tan community despite the sizzling hot weather in order to provide safe living environment to low-income households.

Vietnam POSCO Village is a voluntary project initiated by the POSCO 1% Foundation, the local government and HABITAT to build a total of 85 houses and to construct water supply and sewage systems for low-income residents in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Volunteers have been supplying houses to the community where residents live under poor living conditions, and they have also been working on environment improvement activities by holding sessions to guide them on how to build and manage houses and maintain daily hygiene.

Although Beyond and the POSCO Global Volunteer Group visited the construction site on different days, each group worked under sizzling hot weather conditions to provide safe shelter for 16 households.

One hundred students from the ninth Beyond Group and 20 students from the third Vietnam Beyond Group volunteered at the construction site for 15 days, starting January 3.

The ninth Beyond Group, comprised of college students nationwide, volunteered in the local community with a focus on Pohang, Gwangyang and Seoul during May of 2015. The volunteer work at the time included repairing houses, painting murals, mentoring in English and shooting photos of active seniors enjoying life. Since then, Beyond will participate for the first time in volunteer work overseas. The third Vietnam Beyond Group is comprised of exceptional local Vietnamese students that are receiving support from POSCO TJ Park Foundation.

This year’s volunteer work holds special significance, compared to last year’s, as the volunteering duration was extended twice the length of time, allowing volunteers to participate from the very initial phase of the construction, which includes lifting and piling bricks and leveling the ground. Also, the volunteers introduced the beauty of Korean culture by displaying a wide range of cultural performances during the Korea-Vietnam Youth Culture event hosted by the local Diplomacy Center of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Meanwhile, Youngpoong Footwear, POSCO’s material purchasing group and supplier, has donated 100 pairs of safety shoes to share support. Some of these shoes were worn by the Beyond members at the construction site for protective wear during their volunteering experience, and the remaining shoes were delivered to HABITAT so that both domestic and foreign volunteers can use the shoes while volunteering.

The third POSCO Global Volunteer Group showed a splendid spirit of sharing at a contest in which the POSCO Group employees participated, marking a record breaking competition ratio of 10 to 1. A total of 58 people, including 24 POSCO employees, 32 from the POSCO Family and 2 from outsourcing partner companies were shortlisted for the POSCO Village project which took place from January 9 to January 16. The POSCO Village project is highly significant in that it is a donor participatory volunteer project where the volunteers visit the construction site in Vietnam during their leave.

Regardless of the intensive labor work throughout the project, the volunteer groups happily participated in building houses, piling up bricks and painting colorful murals on four different walls within the village. The volunteers also created a steel playground for children to guarantee their safety and happiness.

Age means nothing when it comes to sharing! The POSCO Global Volunteer Group gives a shout out to Vietnam after deciding to use their vacation time to fly to Vietnam and volunteer.

Kihyun Shin, a POSCO E&C employee who participated in the volunteer work this year, said “My dad visited Vietnam twice as a war veteran, so my dad considers Vietnam his second home… I am deeply touched to bring warm smiles to people in Vietnam, on behalf of my dad.”

In the meantime, a dedication ceremony for POSCO Steel Bridge was held at a nearby village, DA BAC Commune, on January 14 in the midst of the service.

The POSCO Steel Bridge project aims to resolve DA BAC Commune residents’ safety and transit issues caused by the frequently flooded bridge during the rainy season. In doing so, the current bridge is being replaced with a strong steel bridge with handrails.

The Steel Bridge project is receiving favorable feedback in that the POSCO Group companies have united their capacity to the max and improved the safety of local residents in Vietnam. POSCO Vietnam carried forward a construction consent, while POSCO A&C looked after the design layout and POSCO E&C took charge of manufacturing and construction. POSCO SS-VINA provided six-ton steel bars and POSCO Vietnam Holdings was in charge of public relations on-site.

On the day of the dedication ceremony, all members of the POSCO Global Volunteer Group and Beyond, Sunwon Kim, the president of POSCO Vietnam Holdings, the president of the POSCO Group’s partner company, as well as 300 local residents and the chairman of the village celebrated the completion of the bridge construction at the site.

The Steel Bridge is expected to offer a big hand in settling the community’s endemic problems such as safety and traffic obstruction issues, which are experienced by local residents during the rainy season.

POSCO Village construction project
With the aim of providing safe living environment to low-income earners overseas, the POSCO Village construction project has completed construction of 45 houses so far since the project’s launch in 2014, and another 40 houses will be under construction this year.

POSCO Steel Bridge project
The POSCO Steel Bridge project aims to replace existing bridges with sturdy steel bridges with handrails and prevent disasters by creating deeper waterways to slow the flow velocity in flood-prone areas. This project is significant in that it is a project assembling capacities of POSCO, POSCO E&C and POSCO A&C as one.

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The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation received thank-you letters and gifts from residents of the villages in Ethiopia. It has been supporting various programs such as water line expansion and agricultural education in three villages, Debeso, Adulala and Handode. Furthermore, POSCO family volunteering groups have traveled to the villages between 2012 and 2014, to lend a helping hand.

Children from the Adulala village play in the water at the water supply facility supported by POSCO

Starting with the organization of a new community board and a youth association, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation also constructed a village hall and established a residents association, while reigniting a sense of ownership and promoting harmony through “can do” activities.

In addition, the quality of life of the villagers was greatly improved by constructing new roads and introducing solar-powered lantern systems. The quality of the education for children was also significantly improved by building libraries and kindergarten classrooms. Particularly, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation contributed to solving the the most urgent issue of access to clean drinking water by constructing rainwater tanks and a reservoir for the supply of water for agricultural use. The water tanks will provide drinking water for villagers and for livestock.

After all these projects, villages can see positive changes. Most of all, the energy has been revitalized and the average income increased. Children can now work and study at the same time. Villagers expressed their gratitude by delivering thank-you letters and handmade crafts to the members of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation. “I will never forget the POSCO employees who helped us enjoy the benefits of these various projects,” said the letter from Zanaba Akabiya in Adulala.

Meanwhile, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation will continue to support their sustainable businesses until the end of the year, even after the foundation closes. A representative of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation said, “A bank for livestock, a village hall and the water tanks will be operated and managed by villagers while businesses with less profit and low sustainability will close.”

2013 POSCO Family Ethiopia Volunteer Corps
Since 2012, POSCO has been annually sending a selected volunteer group to Handode, Debeso and Adulala village, the Saemaeul Movement model communities. To differentiate with common aids, the POSCO Family Ethiopia Volunteer Corps is leading programs that reflect local needs and encourage residents’ participation.

The 2013 Volunteer Corps operated small business projects such as basket-making, needlecraft training and poultry distribution while also running a model farm to educate farming skills for onion, corn and tomato. Moreover, the volunteers improved the townspeople’s living environment by constructing a town entrance and a reservoir. The corps consistently provided a safe playground and a kindergarten to provide education for children before their entrance to elementary school. In addition, the corps implemented regular medical education about waterborne disease prevention and birth control. Through cooperation with KOICA’s joint medical team, the corps also operated a mobile hospital for the community.

Interview with a POSCO Family Volunteer
To learn more about the volunteer works, let’s listen to the firsthand stories of Ms. Youn, Ji-hye who has recently returned from community project in Adulala village, Ethiopia. She is a daughter of Youn, Hyun-sun, the Manager of Gwangyang Steelworks Iron-making Dept.

Please describe your business project in Adulala village

Among a number of business projects, we put the most efforts on ‘handicrafts business for local women’. The project is about gathering local women who are unemployed but possess skills to create handicrafts such as baskets and picture frames. In order to produce distinctive handicrafts, we varied the products in different sizes and studied craft designs with the women in the village. With such endeavor to develop the business, the local women received about 3,000 birr per month and 15,000 birr on the last month of the term. After making the largest profit, all of us had delicious lunch at a recreation forest in the neighborhood. I still have a vivid memory of them singing and dancing happily even when we came back to the village.

In what ways did you help them gain self-reliance?
Previously, the women at the village used to spend their days delivering water or looking after their children. After participating in the handicraft business, however, they now have incomes. We created savings accounts for them to save the income and prevent immediate spending. Rather than rewarding for each sale, we gave out money in envelopes once a month. Moreover, to inform the significance of common fund, we always saved 10% of sales profit in the common fund account. As a result, many women learned the joy of saving and even desired to visit banks on their payday to save their salaries. I personally felt delightful because I believe we have delivered hopes that rewards follow after hard works.

What have you learned from the volunteering activities in Ethiopia

Many overseas volunteers often say that they ‘went to offer help but rather received it’. After 14 months of volunteering, I am having the same idea. Although I was the general manager of the business, many women who were older than my age called me, ‘my mother’ as they cheered and supported my work at the local community. I truly appreciated their genuine support. Every upsetting incidents at the village, I thought about my father who is currently working at POSCO in Korea. He must had a number of aggravating moments at work but he never complained at home. As I think of my father, I stood up again from occasional difficulties. I believe that arduous environments let you realize the importance of family. It seems that my activities in Ethiopia were the most valuable experience I had in life. In the future, I will always try to move forward by recalling the valuable memories from Ethiopia.

]]> https://newsroom.posco.com/en/vietnam-posco-village-door-bright-future-vietnam/ Tue, 02 Dec 2014 15:50:40 +0000 The word ‘dream’ itself makes people hopeful. And POSCO-Vietnam is delivering this Vietnamese dream to a bright future. As various CSR activities have taken place by POSCO-Vietnam in Vietnam, we’d like to introduce a grand project that will make people dreams come true!

What is Vietnam POSCO Village?

On November 27th, POSCO-Vietnam and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HFH Vietnam) held a ceremony for an 85-house project at Tan Hoa commune, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. The ceremony was attended by local provincial leaders of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, representatives from POSCO-Vietnam and about 100 local households. Consisting of low-income families, the households are mostly informal settlers by the river or on unclaimed lands. These groups of the underprivileged will restore hope by being helped into decent homes in the ‘Vietnam POSCO Village’.

“I am sure that local authorities and poor households are very happy since the POSCO-Vietnam has initiated as from today. This is a magnanimously deep and compassionate action of POSCO 1% Foundation. This will also encourage local authorities to implement agreements with POSCO for helping residents living under difficulties for a better life”, stated Mr. Huynh Van Danh, Vice-chairman of Tan Thanh District.

The 18-month ‘Vietnam POSCO Village’ project will be implemented in two phases. Initially, phase 1 (from September 2014 to June 2015) will provide 45 low-income households with safe and adequate housing with water and sanitation facilities while phase 2 (from July 2015 to February 2016) will support another 40 households.

“This is the most beautiful moment in my life because I am going to live in the house that I have wished for a long time; no one has supported me until POSCO.  Other poor households and my family are deeply grateful to POSCO for funding and constructing these houses for us. I promise I will teach my children to have a better awareness that POSCO had helped us, and we need to work hard to lead a better life to thank POSCO”, said in tears, elderly Pham Van Phuong, 83, one of the family members funded by POSCO.

What to Expect for the Future

“With the aim to increase the living standard of low income households, this project partnership will achieve the dream of a decent home to those without proper shelter. With the generous funding provided by Global POSCO, HFH Vietnam will oversee the construction and provide valuable construction technical advices.” said Ms. Kelly, Director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam.

When the ‘Vietnam POSCO Village’ project is completed and comes to operation, the underprivileged families at Tan Hoa Commune will have stable and adequate homes for staying in and the homes are also bases for them to build a happy family, earn for living and have a better life for their children in future.

“I hope that this project will bring a home of their own to the local poor people. Just as the proverb, “Stable home, stable business”, I hope the project will support and enable them to rise and overcome difficulties. So that they can shape a life of adequateness, comfort and happiness”, said Mr. Yun Yang Su, General Director of POSCO-Vietnam.

Other CSR Activities of POSCO-Vietnam

Not enough with only building a village, POSCO-Vietnam has been putting efforts to maximize improvements in local community’s well-being. In links below, you can learn more about POSCO-Vietnam’s steps toward cultivating the better future that were introduced in our previous posts.

(1) POSCO-Vietnam to Grant Scholarships to Local Students

In academic aspect, POSCO-Vietnam is supplying scholarships for local student 

(2) POSCO-Vietnam Shares the Holiday Joy with Local Children

In social aspect, POSCO-Vietnam celebrates Vietnamese holiday with local children.

On October 16^th, on the Yi Sun-sin Bridge of Gwangyang-si of Jeollanamdo Province, the Yi Sun-sin road to national salvation, ‘New Nanjung Camp’ started on a 4-day 3-night journey.

Just as Admiral Yi Sun-sin overcame hardships and adverse circumstances with an undying will, this camp was designed to grow a mind of loyalty, love for the people, and leadership for teenagers who will become leaders of the future in a time of current adverse economic situations and strongly changing society and culture.

Vice President Hwang Eunyeong and Gwangyang Steelworks High School Principal Kim Seongjeong congratulated and encouraged the 282 second year students who are participating in the camp.

The high school students are spending 4 days and 3 nights, starting at the home of Son Gyeongrye in Jinju, Gyeongnam Province, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin received his notice of reappointment as the controller of the naval forces of the three provinces (Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do), visiting Gurye where the Joseon naval forces rallied, Gokseong, Suncheon, Boseong, and Jangheung, and on to Wusuyeong where the Myeongryang Naval Battle which played an important role in reclaiming command of the sea took place, visiting the sites where Admiral Yi Sun-sin walked down the path of saving the nation and learning of his mentality of indomitable challenge, venerable mind of sacrifice, and leadership to overcome hardships. Particularly, 37㎞ of the 620㎞including the Jirisan hiking trail, village roads, and oceanside roads is traversed on foot, providing the opportunity to ruminate on the mentality of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who never lost hope amidst difficult times and rebuilt the naval forces of Joseon.

Vice President Hwang Eungyeon in his commemorative speech said, “The New Nanjung Camp is a long march program that was designed to help you grow a strong will that does not fall to pieces even in adverse situations or under distress, based on the mentality of Admiral Yi Sun-sin who controlled the naval forces of Joseon which had previously fallen apart.  I hope that you can all gain the wisdom and courage to grow a challenging spirit and overcome difficulties as you walk down the same path that Admiral Yi Sun-shin followed with the fate of the country on his shoulders, but grew a flower of hope despite the difficult reality.”

High school students who arrived at the auto-camping site in Gokseong after the first day of the trip said, “I understood Admiral Yi Sun-sin vaguely as a hero who won many naval battles, but this was an opportunity to experience the many difficulties Admiral Yi Sun-sin faced and had to overcome to save the country, displaying great will.”

The second day starts at the site of Neungpajeong to Suncheon Nammun Gate and ends in Nakan Hanggyo and Nakan-Eupseong, while the third day is a march from the site of Joyangchang where the national storehouse of the Joseon Era was located to Hoeryeongjinseong of Jangheung where the ‘resolution of Hoeryeongpo’ took place.  On the 4^th and final day, members will gather at the starting point on the Yi Sun-sin Bridge in Gwangyang for a ceremony of awards and disbanding, closing the long march.

POSCO multiplied the education effect by additionally preparing interesting missions and contest programs to ruminate on the noble mind of Admiral Yi Sun-sin at major footholds of the New Nanjung Camp.

Until recently, five year old Ritchell and his friends spent their days no different as explained above. As Ritchell’s father left his family long time ago, his responsibility became helping around the farm and household. Ritchell’s family was unable to provide a proper education for him, as well as the least amount of necessary food for the day.

POSCO Children Development Center built in Ritchell’s village

Before the POSCO Children Development Center was built, the concept of kindergarten was vaguely known to a large populous of the children and families of Zimbabwe. Now that the center has opened, children like Ritchell, along with more than eighty other friends are able to learn, write, sing, draw and play together as a whole.

Ritchell’s gloomy days have totally changed. Going to kindergarten helped Ritchell gain weight, allowing his health conditions to improve overall. His talent of drawing has exceeded as he loves to draw chickens, chicks and other various objects that surround him. Ritchell turns six next year, and assures he will most definitely continue into elementary school, in which POSCO is able to help him with donations from our employees.

This is how Ritchell’s day changed to. Let’s take a look.

At six o’clock sharp, Ritchell wakes up. In a heartbeat he runs to the POSCO Children Development Center where from 8am to 1pm are the most precious and exciting moments of his entire day. Once children arrive at the kindergarten, our partner organization, KFHI(Korea Food for the Hungry International) staffs take care of the them with much affection and care. KFHI is POSCO’s partner NGO that manages children development center and agricultural center in Seke, Zimbabwe.

What’s even more exciting is that Ritchell’s attitude has certainly changed after attending the kindergarten and so has his mother. Ever since Ritchell’s father left home a typical day for his mother would be to stay home and not go out. Today, however, she joins Ritchell by visiting the center where she helps to cook and clean. Ritchell’s mother became proud of her son, showing tears of joy as Ritchell recently learned how to spell and write his name for the first time.

POSCO, Hope for Children

Most children of Seke, Zimbabwe are AIDS-positive. During a time of necessary vital cares, these children were neglected and left to starve out of parents’ ignorance and irresponsibility, but most of all poverty. In addition, rarely are these children given a chance to learn or even have a proper meal due to poor conditions.

POSCO provided parental care to the children aged between three to five years, by building a Daycare Center at the village of Cashel. The operating expense for the center is entirely covered by the voluntary donations of POSCO employee’s. About 900 employees are sponsoring the center with their own money, preparing gifts, and sending cards for the POSCO Center children from time to time.

Both the Cashel children and many families were able to escape from a severe poverty thanks to POSCO employees and their small help.

POSCO is continuously funding places like Africa where help is desperately needed. There are countless children around the world who need such support. POSCO wishes that you may share this common goal with us. A small interest from you can change these people’s lives, more that you know it.

The beginning of a rough journey, we’re in Nepal!-

We’ve finally boarded ourselves onto the plane for a volunteer trip to Nepal for three nights and four days. It’s a journey to promote and to check for on-the-spot inspection of the POCSO’s social contributive activity in the Nepali area. With a feeling of both anticipation and a bit of worry, we landed in Kathmandu Airport, which reminded us of rather a small-town bus stop at a remote countryside.

We’ve arrived at Dhulikhel Hospital, a local cooperation organization in late afternoon. Where we stayed was supposedly a “hotel,” but due to a blackout, most of our activities took place in pitch darkness. What’s more, we had to put on our thick jackets during sleep due to the bitter cold night winds. However, this was just the beginning of our rugged journey.

Solukhumbu village gets a Chimney-

On the first day, we started our volunteer at the village of Solukhumbu with Professor Su-Heon Cho on the residential development of the area such as building chimneys and braziers.

Soon we encountered an unpaved road, where our car shook disastrously rough. Furthermore, the end of the unpaved road—which was a single lane—was a cliff, making the situation even riskier when a local bus approached from the opposite direction. Finally, we were able to arrive at our destination in Solukhumbu village after driving for four additional hours.

We realized that it was the absence of exhaust facilities that filters harmful gases like Carbon Monoxide in the environment that use firewood for heating and cooking, which was causing lung problems to the local residents. The need for installing such exhaust facility was urgent. That is why what POSCO decided to support from this year was building chimneys. We’ve also attached a manual board, ‘POSCO Healthy Home,’ for the villagers to be informed. Knowing that the local people’s health may improve due to the chimneys we’ve built made our hearts warm.

An exciting time for Khimti people at our medical camp

The next day we traveled 130km to the village of Khimti for a medical volunteer. That’s a distance which takes about seven hours by car. After an endless driving of going up and down the hills several times, we could finally see the Himalayas covered with snow. We couldn’t help but to stop for a moment to gape at the sublime scenery of the Himalayas. Also along the way, we had to pause for herd of cows that were occupying the entire road. We had to wait for quite a long time until the herd would move by themselves, due to Hindu belief that regards cows as sacred animals in Nepal.

After a troublesome journey, we’ve arrived at Khimti village. The Khimti Outreach Centre, which was being used as a medical camp, was flooding with people who were in line to receive professional treatment. Both the Nepali and Korean medical teams spent a hectic time altogether.

While the medical team was busy with seeing the patients, I enjoyed spending time with the local children who came to visit the camp. We had lots of fun talking about the Korean star PSY, who recently became a world sensation and so on. The sound of innocent laughers and smiles of the children seemed to blow my stress away.

Namaste, see you soon, Nepal!

During four days of running the medical camp, total of 1600 local residents stopped by. The camp pulled off a huge attraction from locals, where some even walked all the way to the camp to receive their first medical treatment of his/her life. I believe that all this was possible thanks to the authenticity of the medical team who put their own expense to the work. If I could, I decided to be part of this again with my own expense in the future. Due to the weak conditions, the volunteer had to end in a tight schedule of only few days. However, the altruistic effort that our medical team has put in and the optimistic demeanors of the local people and the children, even in such deficient conditions, made the departing warm and meaningful. I offered a quiet goodbye gazing at the Himalayas behind me on the plane.