Employee-funded foundation supports injured veterans with advanced prosthetics and inspires young scientists through hands-on education
Posco Group is expanding its employee-funded social contribution programs, providing advanced prosthetic devices to injured veterans and hands-on science education to students as part of efforts to support local communities and future generations.
Established in 2013, the Posco 1% Sharing Foundation draws on voluntary contributions from group employees. Its initiatives focus on helping injured veterans regain independence, widening access to science education and encouraging employees to participate in community projects.
One of its flagship programs provides customized robotic prosthetics and mobility devices to veterans, military personnel and firefighters who sustained injuries in the line of duty.
Since launching the initiative in 2020, the foundation has supported 219 recipients with a combined 6 billion won ($4.3 million) over six years, allocating approximately 1 billion won annually.
Unlike conventional prosthetics, advanced robotic limbs can adjust to different walking conditions, helping users navigate stairs, slopes and uneven terrain. The foundation works with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to identify recipients and assess their medical conditions, occupations and daily needs before selecting suitable devices.
The support also includes fitting, user training and follow-up maintenance.
Among the beneficiaries is Choo Yeon-hee, who suffered lower-body paralysis after an accident during military service. After receiving an advanced walking assistance device in 2024, Choo was able to walk with her daughter and resume everyday activities that had previously been difficult.
Another recipient, Kim Geun-hyo, lost his right arm during a coastal security operation. He received a robotic arm in 2023 and now works as an elementary school teacher.
The foundation has expanded its support beyond individual recipients, supplying wearable rehabilitation robots to veterans hospitals in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Incheon.
The initiative has also helped recipients find employment and participate in sports. One beneficiary joined Posco Humans, the group's subsidiary employing people with disabilities, while another won a cycling gold medal at the 2022 Invictus Games after receiving prosthetic arms.
The foundation received the Patriots and Veterans Culture Award in 2024 in recognition of its support for injured veterans.
Bringing science into the classroom
Alongside its veterans program, the foundation has been running SangSang Science, a hands-on science education initiative, since 2019.
The program introduces middle school students to technologies linked to Posco Group's businesses, including hydrogen-based steelmaking, robotics, rechargeable batteries and resource recycling.
Designed primarily for first-year middle school students in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju — cities where Posco operates major steelmaking facilities — the four-day program uses experiments, simulations and team projects rather than conventional lectures.
Students build models, operate hydraulic robotic arms and participate in specially designed board games to explore how low-carbon steel plants operate.
The curriculum follows a project-based learning approach, encouraging students to identify problems, develop solutions and present their findings.
For example, students explore how replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen in steel production can reduce emissions, then work in teams to propose more environmentally friendly production methods.
Since its launch, the program has reached 26,301 students at 201 middle schools, according to the foundation.
In 2023, the foundation signed an agreement with the Education Ministry to extend science education to 9,240 students at 90 middle schools nationwide. This year, the initiative expanded to schools in Songdo, Incheon.
The program also recruits local university students and people returning to the workforce after career breaks as instructors, providing training before they begin teaching.
Posco Group said the approach helps address regional educational disparities while creating employment opportunities in local communities.
The foundation also operates Change My Town, a program through which employees propose and carry out community improvement projects.
The initiatives reflect Posco Group's longstanding management philosophy of contributing to national development through steelmaking, extending that commitment to employee participation in community support.
Through its 1% Sharing Foundation, the group aims to sustain support for injured veterans, expand educational opportunities and strengthen ties with the communities where it operates.
sahn@heraldcorp.com