POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks Produces Korea's Master Craftsmen and Skilled Technicians

Second Master Craftsman Produced Since 2008 at Gwangyang Steelworks
Multiple Awards Including Presidential and Prime Minister Citations Besides Master Craftsman Title

From the left, Manager Lee Seon-dong, selected as a Master Craftsman of the Republic of Korea; Manager Yoo Cheol-jong, selected as an Excellent Skilled Technician; Manager Lee Seung-jun, recipient of the Presidential Citation for Vocational Competency Development; and Manager Hwang Seon-joo, recipient of the Prime Minister's Citation. Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks

[Gwangyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Si-woo) announced on the 1st that Lee Seon-dong from the Blooming Equipment Department and Yoo Cheol-jong from the Steelmaking Department were both selected as ‘2020 Korea Master Craftsmen and Excellent Skilled Technicians’.

To commemorate September as the Month of Vocational Competency, the Ministry of Employment and Labor held a ceremony on the 1st at ‘The Plaza Hotel’ in Seoul, where 13 individuals selected as Korea Master Craftsmen were awarded certificates, medals, and nameplates. Following this, commendations were also presented to contributors to vocational competency development. The ceremony for the Excellent Skilled Technicians will be held on the 4th.

At this award ceremony, Lee Seung-jun (Small and Medium Business Consortium Secretariat) received the Presidential Citation, and Hwang Seon-joo (Cold Rolling Department) received the Prime Minister’s Citation as contributors to vocational competency development.

The ‘Korea Master Craftsman’ is the most prestigious award presented by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea to the highest skilled technicians who have worked in industrial sites for more than 15 years. The ‘Excellent Skilled Technician’ is selected from outstanding skilled technicians who have worked in industrial sites for more than 7 years.

Lee Seon-dong, selected as a Korea Master Craftsman, contributed to improving maintenance technology of the blooming machine by developing various systems such as the roll alignment automatic measurement device for continuous casting machine maintenance at the slab manufacturing facility of the blooming plant, and was recognized as the top technician in mechanical assembly, management, and maintenance.

Yoo Cheol-jong, selected as an Excellent Skilled Technician in the metal materials sector, was recognized for his contribution to establishing a stable automotive steel sheet production system and improving profitability by developing various operational technologies.

Additionally, the Ministry of Employment and Labor annually selects individuals who have worked hard to promote vocational competency development and skilled technology as contributors to vocational competency development and awards them with orders and medals.

Lee Seung-jun, who received the Presidential Citation, as the HRD manager of the Small and Medium Business Consortium, was highly evaluated for his achievements in operating support programs that enabled more than 25,000 employees of Gwangyang Steelworks’ partner companies to acquire national certifications over the past 10 years, thereby helping excellent talents to develop their professional capabilities.

Hwang Seon-joo, who received the Prime Minister’s Citation, was recognized for actively participating in inventions related to operational technologies and for his efforts to develop job competencies while pursuing academic studies, thereby cultivating expertise in the relevant field.

This year, POSCO produced 2 Korea Master Craftsmen, 4 Excellent Skilled Technicians, and 3 contributors to vocational competency development by combining Gwangyang and Pohang Steelworks. It is the first time in 5 years that Korea Master Craftsmen have been selected from POSCO, and Gwangyang Steelworks produced its second Korea Master Craftsman since 2008.

In particular, by having 6 POSCO employees named as Korea Master Craftsmen and Excellent Skilled Technicians, the company achieved the remarkable feat of having the highest number of awardees from a single company.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.