Pohang City Maps the Future of South Korea's Steel Industry! ... Steel Industry Transformation Symposium Held

Pohang City, together with Gyeongbuk Province, held the "2023 Steel Grand Reform Symposium" under the theme "Drawing the Map of Korea's Next-Generation Steel Industry" at the POSCO International Hall from the 8th to the 9th.

Opening ceremony of the Steel Grand Transformation Symposium held in Pohang.

This symposium was co-hosted by Pohang City and Gyeongbuk Province and organized by the Pohang Metal Materials Industry Promotion Agency, Korea Metal Materials Research Association, POSTECH, and The Korean Institute of Metals and Materials. The opening ceremony took place on the 8th in Pohang, the mecca of the steel industry.

At the opening ceremony, about 300 experts and officials from various sectors of industry, academia, research, and government attended, including Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang; Kim Il-man, Vice Chairman of Pohang City Council; Park Yong-seon, Vice Chairman of Gyeongbuk Provincial Council; Lee Yong-dong, Vice Chairman of Pohang Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Bae Young-ho, Director of Pohang Technopark; Kim Heon-deok, Director of Pohang Metal Materials Industry Promotion Agency; as well as Professor Jeong In-ho of Seoul National University, Professor Min Dong-jun of Yonsei University, and Kim Young-joo, Executive Director of Korea Metal Materials Research Association.

Professor Jeong In-ho of Seoul National University delivered the keynote speech titled "Changes and Technological Development Directions of the Steel Industry for Carbon Neutrality," presenting the role and future direction of the steel industry in response to the climate crisis and the carbon-neutral era.

Following this, Kim Young-joo, Executive Director of Korea Metal Materials Research Association, gave a presentation on "Environmental Changes and Response Strategies in the Global Steel Industry."

In the panel discussion chaired by Professor Min Dong-jun of Yonsei University, participants included Lee Sang-mok, Director of the Production Technology Research Institute; Kim Young-joo, Executive Director of Korea Metal Materials Research Association; Lee Jae-yoon, Director of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade; Professor Jeong Sung-mo of POSTECH Graduate School of Eco-friendly Materials; Lee Sang-ho, Executive Director of POSCO Technical Research Institute; and Kim Yong-hee, Executive Director of Hyundai Steel. They exchanged diverse opinions on establishing carbon-neutral response measures for the steel industry and explored strategies for the development of the next-generation steel industry.

On the 9th, invited lectures will be held in the POSCO International Hall's medium conference room on the topics of "Recycling Utilization Plans for Steel By-products" and "Utilization of Ultra-large Metal Powders and Trends in Technological Development." There will also be a session to share the achievements of the Steel Industry Re-leap Technology Development Project Operation Support Group.

Since the first molten iron was produced by POSCO in Pohang in 1973, the city has led Korea's industrialization with the belief in steel production for national prosperity. Based on this strength, Pohang significantly contributed to achieving Korea's 6th place in global crude steel production as of 2022, reinforcing its status as a representative region of the steel industry for decades.

In particular, Pohang passed the preliminary feasibility study for the Steel Industry Re-leap Technology Development Project in July 2020 and has been investing a total project cost of 135.4 billion KRW over five years from 2021 to 2025. This supports strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises through high value-added steel products, leads innovation in the steel industry ecosystem, and plays a pivotal role as a hub for the steel industry's re-leap.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, "I ask steel companies and experts from all walks of life to unite and make multifaceted efforts from technology development to market pioneering to quickly respond to industrial diversification and secure new growth engines." He added, "As Korea's number one steel city, we will actively strive to secure future competitiveness through the advancement of the steel industry and revitalize the local economy."

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