[Photo] Korea's First Blast Furnace Completing Half a Century of History

A worker at POSCO Pohang Steelworks Blast Furnace No. 1 is performing the final tapping operation before the furnace shutdown on the 29th. The term "Jongpung" (終風) refers to extinguishing the fire of a blast furnace that has reached the end of its lifespan. Pohang Blast Furnace No. 1, which first poured molten iron on June 9, 1973, stopped operation on this day after 48 years and 6 months.

The total amount of molten iron produced by Blast Furnace No. 1 to date is 55.2 million tons, enough to build 1,380 ultra-large oil tankers or manufacture 55.2 million mid-sized cars. After its last major overhaul in 1993, it has operated continuously for nearly 30 years, but as the equipment reached the end of its service life, it concluded its journey with the final tapping on this day.

Kim Hak-dong, President of POSCO, and employees of the Pohang Steelworks Ironmaking Department are standing in front of Pohang Blast Furnace No. 1 to commemorate the Jongpung ceremony.

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