"I hope it burns like a furnace".Expectations for Economic Leap in the New Year

[Anchor]

The furnace flame continues to burn on New Year's Day at POSCO Pohang Steelworks, which makes iron, the root of our industry.

Our economy is also preparing for a bigger leap forward for the new year.

There is a reporter on the scene.

Reporter Hwang Bo Hye-kyung, I think it's going to be hot because of the furnace opening, what do you think?

[Reporter]
The safe zone where I'm standing is hard to feel the blast furnace heat through the wind,

If you go a few steps further from here, you can see that there's as much as 1,500°C of molten metal flowing through the floor.

Pohang Steelworks has been pumping out metal without a break for more than 50 years since 1973.

Since 2017, it has transformed into a smart furnace by promoting the introduction of artificial intelligence.

This reduced quality deviations and increased daily metal production by 240 tons from the previous one.

Pohang Steelworks alone produces 14 million tons of steel products a year.

Iron is also called the 'rice of industry' because it is used throughout our lives and industries, from smartphones to satellites.

However, the steel industry is being hit hard by the downturn in the domestic construction industry and China's offensive on cheap steel products.

In the end, Pohang Steelworks also stopped operating two factories last year.

Despite this crisis, the steel industry is a strong support for our economy as the root of the manufacturing industry.

I hope our economy will take a strong leap forward this year like a flame in a furnace here that does not go out.

So far, I'm YTN Hwang Bo Hye-kyung in Pohang Steelworks' 2nd furnace.

a photographer