POSCO Group accelerates resource strategy as global competition shifts
Summary
POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa is pushing the group’s senior executives to turn its resource-focused growth strategy into concrete action plans at the annual POSCO Forum in Incheon. The two-day event began Thursday and focuses on steel, strategic resources such as lithium and rare earths, and energy resources including LNG and renewable energy. Chang said faster execution is essential as geopolitics and technological change reshape competition. Dominic Barton of Rio Tinto delivered the keynote on how companies can respond through portfolio restructuring and focused investment.
Key Facts
- The annual POSCO Forum began Thursday in Incheon and will run for two days.
- Chang In-hwa said the group’s strategy centers on steel, strategic resources including lithium, cathode and anode materials and rare earths, and energy resources such as LNG and renewable energy.
- POSCO said the forum will be used to develop a medium-term action agenda as it accelerates a shift toward a resource-focused portfolio.
- The group first unveiled its triple-core strategy at its CEO Investor Day in July, when it said it would expand beyond steel into lithium and energy.
- Forum sessions will also examine how physical artificial intelligence could enable autonomous manufacturing.
POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa, right, asks a question to Rio Tinto Chariman Dominic Barton during the 2026 POSCO Forum in Incheon, Thursday. Courtesy of POSCO Holdings
POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa is bringing together the group’s senior executives to map out the next phase of its three-pronged growth strategy, as geopolitical shifts and technological change reshape global competition for resources.
The group’s annual POSCO Forum began Thursday and will run for two days in Incheon. The event brings together senior executives to discuss future growth and innovation while hearing from outside experts. This year’s forum will focus on turning the strategy announced in July into concrete action plans.
Chang's three-part strategy centers on areas of industrial resources such as steel; strategic resources including lithium, cathode and anode materials and rare earths; and energy resources such as liquefied natural gas and renewable energy.
“The ability to execute quickly is the key to survival at a time of major change, as geopolitics and technological paradigms are shifting,” Chang said.
“To successfully implement the strategy and expand our businesses around resources, we need to anticipate the direction of change and find clear answers on what to prepare for and how quickly we need to change.”
Chang laid out three key priorities — localizing steel production, securing positions in major lithium and rare-earth markets and using the energy business to cushion volatility. He noted that the group should tailor its growth strategies to the different operating environments of each business.
Dominic Barton, the chairman of leading multinational mining company Rio Tinto, delivered the keynote address on the impact of geopolitical and technological shifts on corporate value and how companies can drive growth through portfolio restructuring and focused investment.
During the forum, sessions will examine how leading companies are responding to shifts in the global industrial landscape and how physical artificial intelligence could enable autonomous manufacturing.
POSCO said it plans to use the forum to develop a medium-term action agenda as it accelerates the shift toward a resource-focused portfolio.
Meanwhile, the group recently unveiled a vision to expand beyond steel into lithium and energy and become a major supplier of key resources to Korea through its triple-core strategy at its CEO Investor Day in July.
It plans to accelerate the transition while strengthening supply chains and advancing technology and corporate value through faster execution.
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