"The Best Welfare for the Disabled is Jobs"… Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, Visits POSCO Humans

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, visited POSCO Humans, the first subsidiary-type standard workplace for the disabled in Korea, on the 20th in celebration of Disability Week. He toured the facility and held a meeting with CEO Kim Gyu-hong, workers, and executives to communicate and share time together.

The on-site visit followed the commemorative event for the '43rd Disability Day.' Governor Lee has consistently expressed his belief that "the best welfare for the disabled is employment."

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province

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POSCO Humans is a standard workplace for the disabled established by POSCO in 2007 to take a leading role in employing people with disabilities. Its main business sectors include services (office support, laundry cleaning, IT support) and vehicle management.

The number of disabled employees, which was 128 in 2009 at the time of establishment, increased to 317 by the end of last year, with 46% of the employees being severely disabled.

These achievements are reflected in numerous awards, including being selected twice as an excellent employer for disabled employment (2016, 2019), receiving the Presidential Citation for job creation contribution (2018), being recognized as a community contribution company for two consecutive years (2022), and receiving the Iron Tower Industrial Medal for promotion of disabled employment (2023).

Standard workplaces for the disabled were introduced to foster workplaces that employ a large number of disabled people and to create stable jobs for the severely disabled. They must meet certain requirements for certification and undergo evaluation by the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled (Ministry of Employment and Labor) to be granted the status of a standard workplace for the disabled.

After listening to the workers' opinions, Governor Lee Cheol-woo emphasized, "The POSCO Group, a world-class top-tier steel company with global competitiveness, is a strong pillar and great pride of the region." He expressed deep gratitude to CEO Kim Gyu-hong and the executives for their efforts in contributing significantly to the overall regional industry and job creation, as well as providing stable jobs and promoting employment for local disabled people through the establishment of POSCO Humans.

Governor Lee added, "The corporate motto of putting people first and working together with neighbors resonates deeply with local companies and serves as a great example," hoping for widespread adoption of this philosophy.

At the meeting, a worker from POSCO Humans said, "It is truly encouraging that the governor visited us in person. I hope subsidiary-type standard workplaces for the disabled become more active throughout the province."

Another disabled worker at POSCO Humans, overcoming their disability, said, "Just being able to work is very rewarding and brings happiness. I am always grateful and will actively continue volunteering and sharing activities to help neighbors in need."

Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, "Gyeongbuk Province will consider and review support measures so that people with disabilities can work safely and comfortably," and urged, "Let today be an opportunity to further strengthen efforts to expand employment for the disabled."

Gyeongbuk Province is actively working to expand social participation and create a foundation for self-reliance for local disabled people by investing 31.6 billion KRW for various types of job projects tailored to the characteristics of disabilities (for about 2,500 people), 21.7 billion KRW for operating vocational rehabilitation facilities for disabled people who have difficulty with general employment (43 locations), and 1.3 billion KRW for facility operation and function enhancement projects to promote the sales of products made by disabled people.

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