Dongkuk Coated Metal hosts family event at Busan factory to promote work-life balance

Dongkuk Coated Metal, the plated and color steel sheet subsidiary of Dongkuk Steel Mill Group, said Thursday it held its 2026 family invitation event — "Youth Day! We Cheer for Your Dreams and Future" — at its main production factory in Busan on Wednesday.

The event marked the third family invitation since the company was spun off from the group. This year's gathering centered on employees' children and was timed to coincide with the summer school break, the company said.

The event was designed to strengthen bonds between employees and their families by letting children experience their parents' workplace firsthand, while also fostering a sense of belonging and pride among staff. The target group has expanded over the years — from younger children to spouses and mothers in previous years — and this year extended to upper elementary, middle and high school students.

About 200 people in total, including one guardian per child, visited the Busan factory on the day. The program opened with a welcome address by the factory manager, then moved through a company introduction, a line tour, lunch, a guest lecture and a prize draw. Dongkuk Coated Metal also set up a photo booth in the welfare center hall so families could capture memories of the visit.

The children toured the facility in sequence, starting from the dock where raw materials arrive and moving through the CGL (galvanizing) and CCL (color coating) lines, taking in the spaces where their parents spend their working days.

With the age of the children in mind, Dongkuk Coated Metal invited Kang Sung-tae, chief executive of "Gongbuui Shin" (Study God), as the guest speaker. Kang delivered a roughly 90-minute lecture on self-directed learning and career planning, covering topics including motivation, self-development, dreams, vision, career paths and study methods.

"We plan to continue the family invitation event as part of our efforts to spread a work-life balance culture, and will actively explore a wider range of family participation activities," a company official said.

Meanwhile, Dongkuk Coated Metal has been actively pursuing cooperative management initiatives. Earlier this year, it held the "Dongkuk Coated Metal Best Partners Day" at its Busan factory on July 21 to strengthen ties with key export customers.