POSCO executives busy studying English

By Lee Hyo-sik

Kwon Oh-Joon POSCO Chairman

Executives at POSCO and its affiliates have been busy studying English in preparation for a proficiency test in June, according to company officials Monday.

Those who fail the test will not face dismissal or any other severe consequences. But the test results could serve as a barometer in the future when they are under review for promotion, as POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-Joon, who earned his master’s and Ph.D. in the United States, has stressed the importance of being able to communicate in English in the increasingly globalized business world.

“In addition to regular work, I am quite busy these days studying English ahead of the POSCO English Communication Test (PECT) in June,” said an executive at one of POSCO’s subsidiaries. “In 2015, only executives at POSCO were subject to the test. But this year, those at five major company affiliates will also have to take the PECT. I am under a lot of stress.”

The five are POSCO Daewoo, POSCO Engineering & Construction, POSCO Energy, POSCO Chemtech and POSCO ICT.

PECT is an edited version of the Business Language Test Service (BULATS), developed by University of Cambridge. The exam consists of four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking. BULATS is widely used by global companies to test English proficiency of employees and job applicants.

Chairman Kwon, who received his master’s and Ph.D. in metal engineering from the University of Pittsburg, is fluent in English and has been emphasizing the importance of English proficiency, as Korea’s largest steelmaker expands its reach across the globe.

“Among others, speaking is the most difficult for me. All POSCO executives have to undergo an interview with a native English speaker,” the executive said. “The test scores do not matter much but good performers will definitely be in a better position for promotion. I want to excel in the PECT.”

Besides executives, all POSCO employees are required to take the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) when they are evaluated for promotion.

“With POSCO increasingly becoming a global organization, the company encourages employees to brush off their English skills,” a POSCO spokeswoman said. “Our test is all about speaking because we would like workers to be able to communicate in English well. Those with higher scores receive additional points in personnel evaluation.”