Jang In-hwa (right), chairman of POSCO Group, installs handrails at a village pavilion to prevent falls and other hazards, allowing it to be used safely and with peace of mind. Photo courtesy of POSCO Holdings
POSCO Group is holding its largest annual volunteer event, “2026 Global Volunteer Week,” over nine days starting Thursday, the company said Saturday. Led by Chairman Chang In-hwa, employees from all group affiliates at home and abroad are taking part.
Now in its 17th year, Global Volunteer Week is a special volunteer period in which about 24,000 POSCO Group employees across 23 countries carry out activities reflecting the characteristics of each country and region.
Chairman Chang also took the lead in “safe village” activities on the first day of the volunteer week, visiting Jungsan 1-ri in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. There he installed handrails on the steps of a village pavilion and removed fallen leaves and twigs from a stream. Located near Mount Naeyeon and Mount Cheollyeong, the area faces a high risk of wildfires spreading into large-scale blazes and has frequently experienced fires. However, its aging population makes rapid response difficult when fires break out.
At the site, POSCO Group employees replaced aging walls with steel fences made from POSCO-produced steel and delivered safety kits for elderly residents to each household. The safety kits consist of spray-type fire extinguishers and automatic fire-extinguishing power strips equipped with light-emitting diode (LED) sensors. The group also held a demonstration event with local firefighters to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI) wildfire detection system using advanced closed-circuit television (CCTV) and drones within the year.
In addition, in cooperation with AI healthcare company ARK, the group provided health management services by conducting preliminary health checkups for elderly village residents who have difficulty visiting hospitals, checking key health conditions such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cardiovascular health and cognitive health through an AI platform.
This volunteer activity was linked with “Change My Town,” a participatory program that identifies and repairs aging spaces in local communities and a flagship project of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, which is funded by employees donating 1% of their salaries, enhancing synergy between the projects. Overseas affiliates in Vietnam and Myanmar are also continuing locally tailored volunteer activities, including repairing children’s play facilities and improving educational environments by providing IT infrastructure to schools for the blind.