Korea Zinc (010130) held a memorial service for late Honorary Chairman Choi Chang-keol to mark the first anniversary of his death.
The company held the service on the 6th at its headquarters in Jongno District, Seoul. About 130 people attended, including Chairman Choi Yoon-birm, other family members, Vice Chairman Lee Je-joong and other executives and employees of Korea Zinc and its affiliates, as well as acquaintances of the late chairman.
"Over the past year, Korea Zinc has moved forward without wavering despite various changes and challenges both inside and outside the company," President Park Ki-duk said in his eulogy. "In that process, we were reminded once again that the management philosophy and entrepreneurial spirit established by the honorary chairman are the firm roots that sustain Korea Zinc today."
Employees pledged to further advance the value of serving the nation through business, which the late chairman emphasized, drawing on world-class smelting technology at a time when global supply chains are being realigned and competition to secure critical minerals is intensifying.
Choi died on Oct. 6 last year at the age of 84. The second son of Korea Zinc founder Choi Ki-ho, he played a central role in establishing the company in 1974 and later oversaw overall management, laying the foundation for the world's largest non-ferrous metals company. After becoming chairman in 1992, he established Sun Metals Corporation (SMC), a zinc smelter in Australia, expanding the company's global business base. He also helped transform the smelting industry into an environmentally friendly business by commercializing technology that reprocesses zinc residues into clean slag. During his lifetime, he led corporate social responsibility efforts including support for child welfare and scholarship programs, receiving the Camellia Medal of the Order of Civil Merit at the 2013 Korea Sharing Awards.
Attendees also held an unveiling ceremony for a bust of the late chairman. Family members and senior executives then traveled to the family burial grounds at Moran Park in Maseok, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, where they visited his grave and held an unveiling ceremony for a memorial stone.
