Kim Hak-dong, POSCO Vice Chairman, Visits Gwangyang Steelworks for the First Time Since Appointment... Encourages Employees

Gwangyang Steelworks Instrumentation Maintenance Section Visits 1st Blast Furnace Plant, 7CGL, and Foren Co., Ltd. to Encourage Employees

Vice Chairman Kim Hak-dong: "Let's Build a 100-Year Steel Company POSCO Together"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks announced on the 2nd that Kim Hak-dong, Vice Chairman of POSCO who was appointed as CEO on the 7th, visited the Gwangyang Steelworks site for the first time since his inauguration to encourage employees.

Upon arriving at the Gwangyang Steelworks, Kim Hak-dong first visited the EIC Technology Department's Instrumentation Maintenance Section and emphasized to the on-site workers, saying, "Above all, the principle of safety is the top priority value that must never be compromised under any circumstances," urging them to prioritize safety in their work.

He also added, "To ensure POSCO’s sustainable growth as a 100-year company, strengthening competitiveness through the establishment of a smart steelworks is crucial," and stated, "Since predictive maintenance and even artificial intelligence algorithms are based on values measured by instruments, I hope the Instrumentation Maintenance Section will continue to play an important role in creating a smart future."

Next, Vice Chairman Kim Hak-dong headed to the central control room of Blast Furnace No. 1, which boasts the world’s largest scale, and offered words of encouragement to the employees.

Kim Hak-dong said, "Standing at this historic new starting point toward a sustainable 100-year POSCO, we will achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal through a full-scale transition to a low-carbon and eco-friendly steelworks," and urged, "I ask all members of the ironmaking division to continue solid eco-friendly and high-efficiency operations step by step toward the future."

He then visited the 7CGL, a specialized production line for Giga Steel at the 4-Coating Plant.

Kim Hak-dong stated, "7CGL is a line completed to establish a 1 million ton production system for Giga Steel and is the core of producing top-tier products," and expressed deep gratitude to all employees working hard to firmly establish POSCO’s global leadership as a specialized supplier of eco-friendly car materials in the rapidly growing new mobility market.

Finally, he visited POSCO’s partner company, Foren Co., Ltd., which identified and improved risk factors during rolling roll maintenance work, and encouraged continuous efforts to enhance safety and production technology, concluding the site visit for the day.

Along with this, he expressed gratitude to the employees, saying, "The sweat and efforts of all executives and staff have created today’s POSCO," and encouraged them, "Let us take this period of great transformation as an opportunity and move forward with pride and confidence to leap into a sustainable 100-year steel company POSCO, leaving a more proud POSCO to future generations 50 years from now."

Additionally, Kim Hak-dong encouraged employees by saying, "As a corporate citizen, just as we have done so far for the growth and development of the local community, let the steel business be a strong pillar of the POSCO Group and a role model that can lead other businesses, creating a virtuous cycle of co-growth with the local community."

Meanwhile, on the 2nd, POSCO transformed its management structure to separate and focus on the steel business for swift decision-making and meticulous management amid rapidly changing business environments, appointing Kim Hak-dong as the first CEO.

Kim Hak-dong, a steel expert, presented his inaugural message as a corporate citizen steel company that possesses world-class competitiveness based on safety and eco-friendliness, and that develops together with stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities, expressing his ambition to build a sustainable 100-year steel company POSCO.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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