POSCO Chairman stresses safety as group’s top priority

Chairman Chang In-hwa

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa reaffirmed his commitment to making safety the group’s highest priority, following a string of recent industrial accidents.

Speaking at the opening of the 2025 POSCO Forum on Monday, Chang pledged to eliminate risks at their source to ensure employees can work creatively in safe environments. He added that POSCO aims to establish and spread exemplary “K-Safety” practices across Korea’s manufacturing and construction sites.

Held at the Songdo Global R&D Center, the two-day forum brings together executives from across POSCO Group to analyze internal and external business conditions and discuss strategies for growth and innovation. Now in its seventh year, the annual event has become a key venue for charting the group’s future.

POSCO has stepped up safety initiatives after five workers were killed in accidents at POSCO E&C and other affiliates earlier in 2025. The group unveiled an overhaul of its safety management framework in July and is pushing ahead with the establishment of a specialized safety company.

The group is also developing smart safety solutions that combine artificial intelligence (AI) with workplace safety systems, which will be made available to subcontractors and small businesses. In addition, it has set up a task force under the chairman’s direct supervision and an advisory committee on safety innovation and future strategies to drive group-wide improvements.

Alongside safety, Chang highlighted the need for technological innovation to foster new growth drivers. “We will stay ahead by reading the future in advance, leading industrial change, and creating sustainable growth,” he said.

The 2025 forum carries added significance as POSCO seeks breakthroughs amid challenges posed by a sluggish steel market and safety concerns. Andrew McAfee, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of the bestseller book The Second Machine Age, delivered the keynote address where he outlined corporate growth strategies in an era of disruptive technologies such as AI, robotics, and quantum mechanics.