POSCO Appoints 'POSCO Masters' for 2024

Pohang Steelworks Safety and Disaster Prevention Group Manager Seo Jeong-hoon, EIC Technology Department Team Leader Lee Won-jong

Gwangyang Steelworks Ironmaking Equipment Department Team Leader Jeong Won-chae Selected... First in Safety Field

POSCO has selected Seo Jeong-hoon, Manager of the Pohang Safety and Disaster Prevention Group, Lee Won-jong, Team Leader of the Pohang EIC Technology Department, and Jeong Won-chae, Team Leader of the Gwangyang Ironmaking Equipment Department, as the POSCO Masters of the Year 2024.

This is the first case where a master has been selected from the safety department rather than from operations or maintenance.

The photo shows from the left Kim Seong-ho, Chairman of the POSCO Labor Union, Lee Si-woo, CEO of POSCO, Seo Jeong-hoon, Manager, Lee Won-jong, Team Leader, Jeong Won-chae, Team Leader, and Lee Bon-seok, Employee Representative of the POSCO Labor-Management Council. [Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks]

The POSCO Master system is a program that selects employees who possess world-class technical skills and character to develop and pass on steelmaking technology. Since its introduction in 2015, 28 POSCO Masters have been selected up to this year.

POSCO Masters are finally selected by comprehensively considering not only their technical skills and expertise but also their long-term contributions to the company and character. Upon selection, they receive a special promotion in rank, a reward of 50 million KRW, and their names and achievements are permanently enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The newly selected Master Seo Jeong-hoon joined in 1990 and has worked extensively in the Pohang Steelworks rolling equipment and innovation-related organizations. Since 2015, he has transferred to the Safety and Disaster Prevention Group and established the POSCO-style process safety management system, contributing to POSCO achieving the highest grade, P grade, in process safety management evaluation?the first in the steel industry?in 2020.

Master Lee Won-jong, who joined Pohang Steelworks in 1985, is a PLC* expert well-versed in the rolling field. In particular, he contributed to improving productivity and product quality through customized control system design improvements and operations for automatic control of rolling processes such as coil tension and shape control.

Master Jeong Won-chae, a veteran who joined in 1990 and has worked exclusively in Hwaseong maintenance for 34 years, is the undisputed top technician related to CDQ* equipment. He notably contributed to enhancing Hwaseong operation competitiveness and creating a safe workplace through innovative electrical equipment improvements.

Meanwhile, the POSCO Masters selected this time received their appointment plaques from POSCO CEO Lee Si-woo at the SA Operations Meeting held on July 12.

At the event, CEO Lee Si-woo said, “Being a POSCO Master is not an achievement that can be accomplished in a short period but the highest honor for production technology personnel who have steadily built their capabilities in one field over a long time. I hope the newly selected Masters will take the lead in advancing POSCO as a technology-driven company.”

Master Seo Jeong-hoon stated, “As a POSCO Master, I will fulfill my duty to complete a process safety management system tailored to our company’s circumstances and to cultivate in-house experts, spreading a safety activity culture focused on execution throughout the company, and creating a workplace free of major industrial accidents.”

Master Lee Won-jong said, “I feel that the honorable gift of being named a ‘Master’ is thanks to the countless hours spent day and night at the site restoring equipment after sudden disasters such as cold stream flooding and fires. As always, I will take responsibility and pass on technology so that juniors can take pride in PLC work.”

Also, Master Jeong Won-chae said, “The will and ideas to solve chronic problems at the site seem to have helped create a workplace where juniors can work more comfortably and safely. Now, as a Master, I will actively lead the expansion and application of technologies that can be universally used throughout the company.”

The three POSCO Masters selected on this day will contribute to enhancing the company’s technological competitiveness through various activities such as in-house expert technology transfer, new employee training, special lectures at the in-house university, and equipment management lectures for partner and client companies. They will also have the opportunity to work as technical consultants after retirement, passing on their skills and know-how to juniors.

POSCO plans to continue selecting outstanding technical personnel from the field as Masters, spreading a culture that respects technical artisans, and instilling a growth vision that anyone who diligently works on site improvement, technology development, and their main duties can challenge to become a POSCO Master.