POSCO Group Chairman wins Van Fleet Award in New York

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa, center, poses with Thomas Byrne, left, president of the Korea Society, and Kathleen Stephens, chair of the Board of the Korea Society, after receiving the 2025 Van Fleet Award at The Korea Society’s annual dinner held at The Plaza Hotel in New York, Thursday. Courtesy of POSCO Group

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa received the 2025 Van Fleet Award at The Korea Society’s annual dinner held at The Plaza Hotel in New York Thursday, the steelmaker said Friday.

The Van Fleet Award, presented by The Korea Society, honors individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to promoting understanding, cooperation and friendship between Korea and the United States. The award was established in 1992 to commemorate U.S. Gen. James A. Van Fleet, who played a key role in modernizing Korea’s military during the Korean War.

According to The Korea Society, Chang was recognized for his leadership in strengthening POSCO Group’s strategic investments in the U.S. and advancing economic cooperation and ties between the two countries.

The Korea Society chairperson Kathleen Stephens, a former U.S. ambassador to Korea, said Chang was selected “for his contributions to rebuilding the U.S. industrial ecosystem and supporting the establishment of a sustainable supply chain, which have strengthened the bond between the two nations.”

POSCO Group has expanded its U.S. investments across key sectors including steel, secondary battery materials and energy since Chang came to the post.

In April, the group signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Motor Group to explore a joint steel plant investment in Louisiana. In Utah, POSCO is conducting a demonstration project using direct lithium extraction technology — the first of its kind by a Korean company in the U.S.

The group has also signed long-term contracts to purchase liquefied natural gas from the U.S.

In his acceptance speech, Chang expressed gratitude to The Korea Society and highlighted the long-standing ties between POSCO and the U.S., noting that “the U.S. steel industry inspired the founding of Pohang Steelworks, our first U.S. export in 1972, which opened the gateway to global markets. Our 1994 listing on the New York Stock Exchange marked a major milestone in POSCO’s growth.”

He added the steelmaker aims to contribute to a ‘new renaissance of American manufacturing’ through future-oriented partnerships, including the realization of artificial intelligence-based intelligent factories and innovation across core industrial sectors such as automobiles, shipbuilding and energy.