Day 10 - steel works, school visit and more!

Today we began our day by departing the lovely Commodore Hotel in Gyeongju and heading towards POSCO steel works in the city of Pohang. When we arrived we were welcomed to the works and given an introduction to the company and what it does. We learnt the plant was established on 1 April 1968 and employs approximately 8000 people in the Pohang district. It is a large contributor to the economy of Pohang and wider Korea; it helped to lift Koreans out of poverty and hardship after the Korean War. The company even has its own history museum, heliport and built a soccer stadium! 

The plant works 24/7 and produces steel that is used in products from cell phones to satellites and everything in between! Some of these products include car and ship parts, medical equipment, power line wire, pipes, containers, nuts and bolts and stainless steel items. The process of steel production at this plant involves extracting, purifying and casting steel from ore. The company then packages and transports steel around Korea and the world. The plant mainly imports raw materials from Australia, Brazil, India, The United States of America and Canada. It also collects raw materials from around Korea. Materials include iron, limestone and coal. Power is produced for the plant through four power stations that are fuelled by gas. 

A waste water treatment facility also runs on site. The facility monitors emissions from the plant and wider city. 98% of used water is also recycled everyday; 5 million tones of water is used daily by the plant for purposes such as dampening access ways and cooling steel. 

Next, we enjoyed a lovely European buffet lunch at VIPS Steak and Salad bar and prepared for our departure for Seoul via fast train. 

On our return to Seoul we prepared to visit Youngil High School to experience school life in Korea; this was an amazing opportunity! We were welcomed with an applause from students and given an insight into their everyday lives through presentations by 4 students based on the school structure, the Korean education system and a day in the life of a typical Korean student. We finished the school visit with a tour of the school led by students. 

After the school tour, we split into groups and students arranged dinner with us with some visiting family homes, and other visiting a local restaurant. Val, Jane, Fiona and I were provided with an amazing dinner at an Eco-friendly restaurant in the heart of Seoul city with Youngil High School students Jaekyum, Sanghoon, Sunho and Siwoo. 

Over all an awesome day! I will take so much back to my own school from this experience. 

Tauira