Each year, Hyundai Steel welcomes outstanding employees from its international corporations who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to a week of training and cultural experiences in Korea. This year, Steel Talk joined these global visitors—valued members of the Hyundai Steel family—for two of their six days in Korea. Here’s a glimpse into the exciting and enlightening journey they embarked on.
This year, 28 outstanding representatives from Hyundai Steel’s international corporations in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia participated in the annual tradition. They spent six days in Korea, arriving on October 14. Their itinerary began the following day with visits to Hyundai Steel’s Century Safety Culture Center and Dangjin Integrated Steelworks. The remainder of their stay included visits to Hyundai Steel’s partners and renowned tourist destinations, such as Hyundai Motor Company, Youngjin Steel, the Han River Cruise, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Hyundai Motorstudio, and the Korean Folk Village.
Scenes from the Century Safety Culture Center
The visiting staff members began their official itinerary in Korea with a stop at Hyundai Steel’s Century Safety Culture Center—a symbol of the company’s dedication to safety. Here, they encountered immersive simulations of various workplace accident scenarios and learned critical prevention strategies. The 28 participants fully engaged in the hands-on experiences at the center, deepening their understanding of safety measures and workplace protocols.
One of the highlights was the driving safety simulation, where participants navigated a road at a speed of 30 km/h. Cayla from Hyundai Steel America, known for her heavy-footed driving, couldn’t help but laugh as she repeatedly exceeded the speed limit during the exercise. Other popular simulations included fire containment techniques, safe evacuation procedures, and emergency CPR training. These experiences left the visitors both entertained and enlightened, reinforcing the importance of safety in the workplace.
Giddins (HSAL)
In the workplace, there are so many things that can lead to accidents. It’s crucial for everyone to understand the importance of safety and remain vigilant to prevent incidents. The Century Safety Culture Center is like a one-stop shop for all things safety awareness and preparedness. Its very existence shows just how much Hyundai Steel values safety.
The materials dome at Dangjin Integrated Steelworks made an indelible impression on the visitors
The next destination, Dangjin Integrated Steelworks, left the visiting Hyundai Steelers in awe. Spanning an immense area by the port, complete with blast furnaces and steel mills, Dangjin Integrated Steelworks is truly colossal. The visitors unanimously agreed that the “materials dome” was the most memorable feature of the site. This dome, large enough to store 250,000 to 300,000 tons of steelmaking materials, allows sunlight to filter through its high, domed ceiling, creating a breathtaking scene that is unique to Dangjin Integrated Steelworks.
Petr Batosh (HSCZ)
The materials dome is my strongest memory from my visit to Korea. We learned that its design was an innovation for maximizing storage efficiency. The sheer scale of the dome was breathtaking. With light streaming through and the unique atmosphere inside, it felt like stepping into an entirely different world.
The participants then moved on to the hot rolling plant at Dangjin Integrated Steelworks. Walking along the extensive rows of heating furnaces, they observed scorching hot slabs emerging straight from the furnaces. Heated to approximately 1,300°C, these slabs undergo a series of processes to gradually become thinner and eventually transform into hot-rolled coils, resembling giant rolls of toilet paper in shape. As they explored the plant, the visitors learned about the detailed process by which these heated slabs are turned into hot-rolled coils.
Dong Qingshan (HSMC)
What a privilege it was to visit Dangjin Integrated Steelworks! I had heard it was huge, but I never imagined it would be this massive. The visit provided me with a fundamental understanding of Hyundai Steel’s production processes and the various materials that are fed into the blast furnaces at the plant. Thank you for this incredible experience!
The entire group at Gyeongbokgung Palace
The third day began with a tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Made even more picturesque by the falling autumn leaves, the ancient royal palace offered a beautiful slice of Korean culture that the international visitors savored and captured in photographs. On that memorable day, they also bought traditional Korean trinkets at the souvenir shop and enjoyed delicious ice cream.
Alina lim (HSBR)
I loved the tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace. We saw tourists trying on hanbok (traditional Korean attire), and they all looked so lovely. Some even had their hair styled the way it’s done in the Korean dramas I’ve seen. It was all so new and exciting for me!
Scenes from the tour at Hyundai Motorstudio
Hyundai Motorstudio is where you can see the entire lineup of Hyundai vehicles and even experience the future of the Hyundai Motor Group. It was the last stop for the visitors on their third day. They were most impressed by the exhibition of the latest vehicles. From trucks to EVs to SUVs, they were all there to be viewed, boarded, and touched.
Hyundai Motorstudio provided a glimpse of the present and future of the Hyundai Motor Group
Next came the Into the Car experience, which provided glimpses into the process of making a modern car. Visitors observed production stages, including steel melting, car body construction, component assembly, and the integration of safety features. The highlight of the exhibit was undoubtedly the mesmerizing Aluminum Wave Show. Thousands of aluminum rods moved gracefully, changing shapes and colors in sync with the music, drawing awe and admiration from all around.
Sai Manoj (HSAN)
The aluminum wave show was spectacular and definitely my favorite part of our visit to Hyundai Motorstudio. The wavy, changing shapes were truly beautiful. It was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to visit the futuristic Hyundai Motorstudio.
The international staffers returned to their home countries after six memorable days
Over two days, Steel Talk was with the group as they enjoyed their experiences. They are proud members of the Hyundai Steel family, each fulfilling their duties in their respective roles. Though they come from different cultures and countries far away, they are united with the rest of us in their sense of belonging to Hyundai Steel, as well as in their affection for Korea, the home of Hyundai Steel. May they always remember Korea as a beautiful place and may their strong sense of belonging as Hyundai Steel members serve them well throughout their lives.
Article teel Talk Editing Team
Videos Kang Dong-yeon (DCEL)
Photos Kim Dae-jin