POSCO DX backs disabled YouTubers with annual content competition

POSCO DX is holding its annual social contribution contest, "Kkumeul Greenda," a YouTube content competition for people with disabilities, to support aspiring creators.

The company announced Monday that this year marks the eighth edition of the contest, which it runs in partnership with POSCO and the Korea Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities. Funding comes from the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, supported by employee donations and a corporate matching-grant program.

The contest is open to anyone with a disability, and participants may form teams of up to four people, including non-disabled members. Entries may be submitted in three categories — disability awareness, everyday safety and the environment — and a special prize will be awarded for content created using generative AI.

POSCO DX said it added the safety category this year in response to growing public attention to safety issues, aiming to capture the perspectives of participants with disabilities on building safer environments.

Submissions are accepted through Aug. 31. Outstanding entries will be recognized at an awards ceremony in early November, with prizes presented by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the POSCO DX president and the Korea National Park Service.

POSCO DX has held the Kkumeul Greenda contest every year since 2019. The program offers people with disabilities training in YouTube planning, filming and editing, then supports them in producing content with the skills they acquire.

The company highlighted the story of Kim Se-jin as an example of the program's impact. Kim submitted a video documenting her journey as a fashion model using a prosthetic leg. The entry won the Ministry of Health and Welfare minister's award at last year's contest and helped broaden public perceptions of disability.

Last year's competition drew 369 entries, and interest among aspiring disabled creators has grown each year. POSCO DX said it expects strong participation again this year as public interest in solo-creator media and YouTube content continues to grow.

Meanwhile, POSCO DX said it has been running an online video-production training program for about 390 people with disabilities from May through August. The company has set up filming studios at welfare centers and special-needs schools in Pohang, Gwangyang, Seoul and Yongin to give participants hands-on production experience, and in-person sessions providing equipment and props are also underway.

In June, the company held a follow-up development program at Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan National Park, giving top performers from the previous contest the opportunity to sharpen their content-creation skills.