Posco discusses future strategies at tech forum

South Korean steel giant Posco Group on Wednesday held the 2024 Posco Group Tech Forum, an annual event dedicated to sharing advancements in the core technologies of the group’s key businesses and discussing future directions.

Now in its 36th year, the event was held offline in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for the first time in five years following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s forum focused on deepening understanding of the group’s core technologies -- including steel and battery materials -- and exploring ways to create synergies across different technology areas.

Posco Group Chairman Chang In-hwa, along with Posco CEO Lee Si-woo, Posco Holdings CTO Kim Ki-soo, Posco E&C CEO Chon Jung-son, Posco Future M CEO Yoo Byeong-og, and around 1,200 technical employees, attended the event.

“Posco has always found breakthroughs through innovative technology development. Although we face numerous challenges such as global uncertainties and technological gaps, we will turn crises into opportunities through innovation as we strive to become a world-class company,” Chang said during the opening ceremony.

The forum continued with a keynote speech by Simon Farry, vice president of Australia-based Rio Tinto, a key raw materials supplier for Posco Group. His address focused on carbon neutrality strategies for global raw materials companies and explored ways to strengthen collaboration with steelmakers in the shift toward greener practices.

The event also included an awards session to recognize employees who achieved notable results in technology development. The top award went to a member of the Gwangyang steelmaking department for developing a digital twin-based one-touch steelmaking system that automates traditionally manual processes through AI-driven models and video measurement technology.

Additionally, the forum showcased major technological achievements in digital transformation, a key strategy for Posco’s next-generation businesses. The exhibits included advances in electric vehicle body structures, Posco’s proprietary hydrogen reduction steelmaking technology (HyREX), and lithium brine extraction and recycling processes from Argentina.