POSCO Mobilizes Over 30,000 Workers During Holiday Period for Pohang Steelworks Restoration Efforts

All Employees of Pohang Plant, Gwangyang Plant, Group Companies, and Partners Unite Their Strengths

Focus on Restoration of Steelmaking and Continuous Casting Facilities... Swift Normalization of Steelmaking Equipment

POSCO "Deeply Grateful for the Public's Support and Encouragement... Committed to Rapid Resumption of Operations"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Even during the Chuseok holiday from the 9th to the 12th, the recovery work at POSCO Pohang Steelworks did not stop 24 hours a day.

During this period, an average of 8,000 people per day, totaling about 30,000 over the holiday, including employees of Pohang Steelworks, Gwangyang Steelworks, group companies, partners, and related organizations, gathered at Pohang Steelworks to fully concentrate on recovery efforts.

More than 200 employees from the Seoul POSCO Center and about 300 direct maintenance and partner employees from Gwangyang Steelworks also rolled up their sleeves and joined in.

Local governments such as Gyeongbuk Province, the Fire Agency, the Expressway Corporation, shipbuilders, and the Marine Corps also provided great support through manpower and heavy equipment such as large-capacity rocket launchers, fire pumps, water trucks, and pumps.

With the combined capabilities of employees, partners, and related organizations, the blast furnaces at POSCO Pohang Steelworks are expected to be fully operational as early as tomorrow.

Following the normal operation of Pohang No. 3 blast furnace on the 10th, the No. 4 blast furnace is scheduled to resume normal operation today (the 12th), and the No. 2 blast furnace is planned to start normal operation as early as tomorrow (the 13th), in connection with the recovery schedule of steelmaking facilities.

Today, Pohang Steelworks plans to focus on restoring steelmaking and continuous casting facilities to process molten iron produced from the blast furnaces.

Regarding the steelmaking plant, No. 2 Steelmaking Shop 4 converter and No. 3 Steelmaking Shop 1 converter resumed operation on the 11th, and the plan is to normalize all steelmaking facilities as soon as possible.

To minimize damage to customers, Gwangyang Steelworks will switch to maximum production mode, prioritize emergency re-steel production for customers, and operate an emergency shipment response team starting tomorrow to quickly respond to customers by selling existing inventory and other measures.

In the rolling line, which suffered the greatest damage from the flooding of Naengcheon, most underground facilities were submerged, and drainage and mud removal work is still ongoing. Accurate damage assessment and rolling line recovery/operation plans are expected to be established once underground facility restoration is completed.

During the recovery process, to thoroughly prevent safety accidents and promptly resolve unexpected issues, an on-site support team consisting of in-house experts, retired POSCO employees, group company/partner specialists, and advisory committee members is providing technical and safety support.

In particular, before electrical restoration and equipment commissioning, repeated checks and inspections are conducted to ensure no necessary safety measures are omitted, and thorough preparations are made against similar risks, prioritizing safety in recovery work.

A POSCO official said, “We deeply appreciate the comfort and support from the public during the holiday period, and all employees will unite as one to repay this by quickly normalizing operations, making every effort to minimize the impact on the local and national economy.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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