Pohang: South Korea's steel giant POSCO on Friday dismissed the head of Pohang Steelworks following a series of fatal accidents at the plant on the country's southeastern coast, industry sources said.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee Dong-ryeol, who led the Pohang facility in the city of Pohang, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been removed from the post. POSCO will not appoint a new head for Pohang Steelworks. Instead, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lee Hee-geun will serve concurrently as the head of the facility. He will oversee a thorough investigation into the recent fatal accidents and develop fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence.
In addition, Yoo In-jong, CEO of POSCO Safety Solutions, has been appointed to lead POSCO Group's special safety task force. This is part of efforts to strengthen the group's disaster prevention framework. POSCO Safety Solutions, a safety-focused subsidiary established in September, was set up to reinforce group-wide disaster prevention capabilities in partnership with SGS S.A., a Switzerland-based testing, inspection, and certification company.
The move followed a day after three workers were found in cardiac arrest on Thursday after inhaling what appeared to be toxic gas at POSCO's main steelmaking plant. This incident came just two weeks after one worker was killed and three others suffered burns after exposure to chemical substances from damaged pipes at the Pohang facility. Another worker was killed in March during maintenance work at the Pohang plant.