<Angri>



Yesterday (6th), the Pohang Works, the second largest in the world, suffered great damage from a typhoon.

Most of the steel mills were submerged in water and the operation of the furnaces was completely shut down.

This is the first time in 49 years, and it is unknown when it will be able to resume operation.



This is reporter Jae Hee-won.



<Reporter>



The POSCO Pohang Works in Nam-gu, Pohang, where it rained 110mm per hour.



In an instant, the pouring rain turned the entrance to the ironworks into a huge river.



The inside of the factory was filled with water up to the waist of an adult, and the pile of coils wrapped around the iron plate was also submerged in muddy water.



[Posco employee: There are many underground electrical facilities, but all of them were flooded.

A lot of pearls came from the cold spring.

We are working on scooping, but it will take some time to restore it right away.]



Although the blast furnace for melting molten iron was not flooded, most of the steelworks three times the size of Yeouido were submerged.



A situation in which the three furnaces are on a hiatus that stops blowing hot air.



It is the first time in 49 years since molten iron production began in 1973 that the furnaces were shut down all at once.



[POSCO official: First of all, we plan to resume normal operation of the blast furnace as soon as possible while repeating the cessation of wind and blowing, and normalize the flooded faucet substation within 1 to 2 days to begin the restoration work.]



If the furnace stops operating for more than 5 days, cracks occur inside it and it usually takes more than 3 months to restart.



POSCO said that it would try to prevent cracks by turning the furnace even a little bit.



However, almost all workplaces, including cold-rolling and hot-rolling plants, where subsequent processes are carried out, are submerged in water and it is unknown when they will restart.



Pohang Works produces 15 million tons of steel products annually.



POSCO declared a state of emergency and took all-out measures, and announced that it would minimize damage by handing over a part of the Pohang Works to Gwangyang Works.



(Video editing: Kim Ho-jin)