Milestone reached since Pohang structural steel factory began operation in 1997

Output equivalent to building about 3,500 Eiffel Towers

D-Mega Beam production system also stabilized

Dongkuk Steel Mill CEO Choi Sam-young delivers a congratulatory address at a ceremony held Tuesday at the company's Pohang factory in North Gyeongsang Province to mark the cumulative production of 25 million tons of structural steel and the stabilization of D-Mega Beam output. [Dongkuk Steel Mill]
Dongkuk Steel Mill CEO Choi Sam-young delivers a congratulatory address at a ceremony held Tuesday at the company's Pohang factory in North Gyeongsang Province to mark the cumulative production of 25 million tons of structural steel and the stabilization of D-Mega Beam output. [Dongkuk Steel Mill]

Dongkuk Steel Mill's cumulative structural steel output has surpassed 25 million tons — a milestone reached 29 years after its Pohang structural steel factory first began operation in 1997.

The company held a ceremony at its Pohang factory on Tuesday to celebrate the achievement and the stabilization of its D-Mega Beam production system.

About 70 people attended the event, including CEO Choi Sam-young, Pohang factory head Lee Chi-gwang, other executives, union officials, and management and production staff.

Structural steel refers to steel with a shaped cross-section, used primarily as the framework for structures such as bridges and buildings. The 25 million tons Dongkuk Steel Mill has now produced is equivalent to the weight needed to build about 3,500 Eiffel Towers. Based on a standard H-beam measuring 300 millimeters by 300 millimeters, the total length would wrap around the Earth more than six and a half times.

The milestone carries significance beyond sheer volume. Over roughly 30 years, the company has sustained production scale and quality within a single product category, cementing its position in South Korea's structural steel market.

The ceremony also highlighted the stabilization of production for the D-Mega Beam, a high-value-added product. The D-Mega Beam is a custom large-scale structural steel product that Dongkuk Steel Mill first produced last year. Made by welding steel plates together, it can be manufactured to the specifications customers require.

Demand for custom large-scale structural steel has grown alongside rising investment in large infrastructure projects such as AI data centers, industrial plants and logistics centers. Over the past year, Dongkuk Steel Mill pursued research to improve production precision — including adjustments to weld angles — and made progress in expanding monthly output and stabilizing quality.

The company is strengthening its competitiveness in the structural steel business by maintaining its base of standard general-purpose products while expanding its lineup of custom high-value-added offerings. The Pohang factory is the only single plant in South Korea capable of supplying H-beams, general structural steel, welded structural steel and rebar all in one location.

"This is the result of the thought and effort you have poured into producing and selling the diverse products our customers demand, and I am deeply grateful for your hard work," CEO Choi said. "In an increasingly sophisticated market, let us lead the future with the collaborative strength that only Dongkuk possesses."

Factory head Lee said in his commemorative remarks: "From the excitement of producing our first product to the 29 years we have run without pause, our time together has been anything but short. I firmly believe the Pohang factory will continue to grow by leading the adoption of AI technology as it moves toward a new milestone as a smart factory."

At a commemorative product-signing ceremony, CEO Choi inscribed on a structural steel product: "Carrying Dongkuk's future forward with an undying flame." Factory head Lee left the message: "Beyond the best — and further still!"

Dongkuk Steel Mill also released a video on the group's YouTube channel documenting the history of structural steel production at the Pohang factory, tracing its growth since the factory began operation in 1997.


kwater@heraldcorp.com