POSCO dismisses head of Pohang Steelworks following recent fatal accidents

POSCO's steel mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province / Korea Times file

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.

Lee Dong-ryeol, who led the Pohang facility in the city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, has been removed from the post, according to the sources.

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 and oversee a thorough investigation into the recent fatal accidents, as well as the development of fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence, added the sources.

In addition, Yoo In-jong, CEO of POSCO Safety Solutions, has been appointed to lead POSCO Group's special safety task force as 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 came 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.

The incident came just two weeks after one worker was killed while three others suffered burns after being exposed to chemical substances from damaged pipes at the Pohang facility.

Another worker was killed in March at the Pohang plant during maintenance work.