Posco continues to support people with impairments

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Posco continues to support people with impairments

Lee Hun, a left-handed pianist, was able to follow his dream with the support of the Posco 1% Foundation. [POSCO]

Lee Hun, a left-handed pianist, was able to follow his dream with the support of the Posco 1% Foundation. [POSCO]

The Posco 1% Foundation, a non-profit foundation funded by employees of Posco and its partners with matching grants from the company, continues to support people with impairments in various ways.  
 
The foundation has discovered unknown artists with impairments and provides them with opportunities through the project “Meeting Becomes Art” since 2020.  
 
“Meeting Becomes Art” uses YouTube to annually seek out artists with impairments in various fields and introduce the artistic value that they pursue through videos.
 
Starting this year, the project’s commitment to supporting these artists will increase by affording them the chance to display their work or hold performances.
 
One artist who has benefitted from the program is left-handed pianist Lee Hun, who recovered his left-hand function through constant rehabilitation after a sudden stroke.
 
After appearing in the program, he became well-known to the public and held various concerts as a musician, including solo recitals.
 
The foundation delivers vivid storytelling videos of artists with impairments in collaboration with famous YouTube stars.  
 
A total of 24 artists have applied so far, and the cumulative number of views on YouTube has reached 11.74 million, drawing keen attention and a response from the public.  
 
In addition, the Posco 1% Foundation has developed and operated a digital competency curriculum to foster the conditions for people with impairments to work in the IT field, as well as providing equipment for those in need.
 
The foundation will promote projects to support vocational training for the developmentally impaired by establishing vocational training centers in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, and Gwangyang, South Jeolla.  
 
The centers use virtual reality to help people train and learn in a safer setting. For example, people who dream of becoming baristas at Pohang Myeongdo School can learn to boil water and brew coffee with the latest VR devices.
 
The quality of education has improved as various sensors and programs installed in VR devices allow safe repetitive practice.
 
Posco 1% Foundation also supports people who were injured while dedicating themselves to the nation.  
 
The foundation has been providing advanced subsidiary bodies including robotic artificial legs and arms, customized wheelchairs, reading stands for the visually impaired and smart hearing aids to a total of 58 people since 2020.  
 
One of the recipients offered robotic artificial legs has been devoting himself to training with the goal of winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.  
 
The Posco 1% Foundation collected more than 10 billion won ($7.8 million) last year, with 9.91 billion won coming from donations and 140 million won from interest earnings.  
 
The foundation donated about 2.5 billion won to directly support people with impairments.
 
Other interests of the foundation include supporting independence for future generations, multicultural families and underprivileged people.  
 

BY HAJIN KIM [kim.hajin@joongang.co.kr]
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