[미디어SR 박민석 기자] POSCO establishes the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Committee’ in the specialized committee under the board of directors. It is noteworthy whether it will be a turning point in POSCO’s ESG management, which has been braked by successive industrial accidents and environmental problems.
A POSCO official told Media SR on the 19th, “The top management is seriously aware of environmental issues and safety issues, including carbon neutrality, which are emerging as important topics in the steel industry.” “(Establishment of the ESG Committee) is a long-term plan at the board level. It means that we will continue to support and continue to support our team and strategy.”
POSCO decided to establish an’ESG Committee’ under the board of directors at the board of directors on the 18th. Accordingly, major ESG-related policies will be finalized by the Board of Directors.
POSCO’s decision is that the board of directors will continue to focus on ESG and manage and monitor major policies and implementation matters of ESG activities.
POSCO recommended Young-sook Yoo and former ambassador of the United Arab Emirates Kwon Tae-gyun and former UAE Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Kwon Tae-gyun as candidates for new outside directors at the regular shareholders’ meeting, and Chang-hwa Chung, head of the Management Support Division, as internal directors.
According to POSCO, Candidate Young-sook Yoo is a doctorate in biochemistry and an environmental expert who served as the Minister of Environment. Currently, it is expected to contribute to strengthening POSCO’s ESG expertise as it is currently conducting a wide range of activities such as international organizations such as the UN Climate Change Conference. In particular, Candidate Yoo is attracting attention because it is the situation where he was recommended as POSCO’s first female outside director.
Candidate Tae-gyun Kwon served as an economic councilor for the Asian Development Bank, the State OECD representative, head of the Financial Information Analysis Institute of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, head of the Trade and Investment Department of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, and the head of the Public Procurement Service. After serving as the ambassador of the UAE embassy to the United Arab Emirates, he is evaluated as having experience and expertise in the field of finance and investment, including serving as an advisory role in domestic and overseas investment.
Candidate Chang-Hwa Jung served as head of POSCO’s External Cooperation Department, Head of PR Department, Head of POSCO E&C CR Center, Head of POSCO PR Department, and Head of POSCO-China Representative Corporation. Last year, he was appointed as the head of POSCO’s management support headquarters and oversees personnel, public relations, administration, legal affairs, and IT.
They were confirmed as candidates through procedures such as qualification screening at the’Director Candidate Recommendation and Steering Committee’ and the board of directors. Meanwhile, Kim Hak-dong, head of the steel division, Jeon Joong-sun, head of the global infrastructure division, and Jeong Tak, the head of the marketing division, were recomposed as internal directors.
POSCO plans to propose a plan for the appointment of directors and a new ESG committee at the shareholders’ meeting held on the 12th of next month.
On the other hand, in the recent business world, ESG committees have been established centering on large companies such as Samsung and Kakao, accelerating ESG management.
An official from Sustin Best told Media SR, “The role of the ESG committee is to make ESG-related decisions, mainly considering various perspectives.” It is important to be composed of experts who have the skills.