POSCO International
Corporate brand
UnclaimedPOSCO International is a South Korean global trading and investment company that combines steel, energy, agricultural commodities, mobility materials, and other international businesses within POSCO Group.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
POSCO International Corporation is a South Korean trading and business-development company and a subsidiary of POSCO. It is described as South Korea's largest trading company and operates through an international network of more than 80 overseas branches and subsidiaries. Its activities extend beyond conventional merchandise trading into resource development, energy infrastructure, industrial materials, mobility components, agricultural commodities, and newer environmentally oriented businesses. The company traces its origins to 1967, when Kim Woo-choong established Daewoo Industrial Co., Ltd. The original business combined trading and construction activities. Its corporate history was later shaped by the collapse and restructuring of the Daewoo Group. In 1999, Daewoo faced a severe debt crisis and was formally dismantled. During the group's work-out process, the trading operations of Daewoo Industrial were separated in 2000 and reorganized as Daewoo International Corporation. The restructured company subsequently regained a general trading license and returned to the stock market. The business became part of the POSCO corporate ecosystem as POSCO expanded its international trading and materials activities. In 2016, Daewoo International changed its name to POSCO Daewoo. Following a 2017 merger with POSCO P&S, the company adopted its present name, POSCO International Corporation, in 2019. These changes reflected a shift from a traditional general-trading identity toward a broader platform connecting POSCO's steel, materials, energy, and overseas investment capabilities. Its business portfolio is organized around several main areas. The steel business covers exports, imports, and triangular sales involving semi-finished goods, long products, wire rod, thick plate, hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheet, coated and color steel, electrical steel, automotive steel, stainless steel, energy-industry steel, construction materials, and lithium-ion battery materials. Domestic processing and distribution activities include POSCO Mobility Solution and the eSTEEL4U platform. Steel-processing and manufacturing capabilities have also been organized through subsidiaries and related businesses. Energy is another central pillar. The company participates in exploration and production, gas operations, resource development, and energy projects involving liquefied natural gas, solar power, wind power, and hydrogen. The 2022 acquisition of Australian gas and energy company Senex strengthened its upstream gas position. In 2023, POSCO International merged with sister company POSCO Energy, bringing upstream gas activities and downstream energy operations into a more integrated LNG value chain. The company presented this restructuring as part of a strategy to build a stronger energy business while retaining global trading strengths in steel, agricultural products, and eco-friendly materials. Agricultural activities include grain trading, palm oil, and cotton. Newer growth areas include bioplastics, environmentally oriented vehicle parts, and public infrastructure. The company has also supplied automotive components: in 2020, POSCO International and Erae AMS were reported to be supplying electric-vehicle components to Vietnamese automaker VinFast. POSCO International's current strategic identity is expressed through the vision "Green Energy & Global Business Pioneer." The stated direction is to create, connect, and complete businesses that support future growth, particularly through integrated energy, global commerce, and lower-impact industrial materials. At the same time, the company's overseas resource and agricultural operations have attracted criticism concerning relationships with military-linked entities, forest clearing, and indigenous land rights. These controversies form an important part of the public discussion surrounding its international operations and environmental governance.
History
POSCO International began in 1967 as Daewoo Industrial Co., Ltd., founded by Kim Woo-choong. The original enterprise operated in trading and construction, reflecting the broad business model associated with South Korea's large industrial groups during the country's period of export-led development. International commerce remained central to the company's identity as it built relationships involving industrial products and overseas markets. The decisive restructuring period came with the collapse of the Daewoo Group. In 1999, Daewoo confronted an extensive debt crisis and the group was subsequently dismantled. As part of a work-out program, the trading segment of Daewoo Industrial was separated in 2000 and established as Daewoo International Corporation. The reorganized company obtained a general trading license and was listed again on the stock market, allowing it to continue as an independent international trading platform after the breakup of its former parent group. The company's later history was defined by its incorporation into the POSCO orbit. In 2016, Daewoo International changed its corporate name to POSCO Daewoo. The renaming signaled a closer relationship with POSCO and a strategic emphasis on steel-related international business. In 2017, POSCO Daewoo merged with POSCO P&S. In 2019, the company adopted the name POSCO International Corporation, which remains its current identity. After the name changes and mergers, the company expanded its role beyond general trading. Its steel activities include the international sale and distribution of a wide variety of steel products, ranging from semi-finished and long products to wire rod, heavy plate, hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, coated and color steel, electrical steel, automotive steel, stainless steel, construction materials, and materials used in energy and battery applications. Domestic processing and distribution activities include POSCO Mobility Solution and the eSTEEL4U platform. Energy became increasingly important. POSCO International developed activities in exploration and production, gas operations, resource development, and renewable or future-oriented energy areas such as solar, wind, and hydrogen. The company also participated in LNG-related activities, positioning itself to connect resource production, trading, infrastructure, and energy use. Its overseas resource portfolio has nevertheless generated political and environmental scrutiny, particularly in Myanmar and Indonesia. In 2020, the company was reported to be working with Erae AMS to supply electric-vehicle components to VinFast in Vietnam. The project illustrated the company's movement into mobility components and the broader transition of its industrial-materials business toward electric vehicles. In 2021, POSCO International announced an intention to issue ESG bonds, presenting the plan as a pioneering ESG-finance initiative among Korean trading companies. In 2022, the acquisition of Australian gas and energy company Senex strengthened the company's upstream gas position. In 2023, POSCO International merged with POSCO Energy. The combination was intended to integrate upstream and downstream parts of the LNG value chain and make energy a larger, more coherent business within the company. At the same time, the company retained global trading businesses in steel, agricultural commodities, and eco-friendly materials. Following the 2023 restructuring, the stated organizational emphasis was on completing the LNG value chain, expanding steel and agricultural trading, and developing environmentally oriented businesses. The company describes its strategic vision as "Green Energy & Global Business Pioneer," with an ambition to create, connect, and complete businesses supporting future growth. Its present profile is therefore that of a diversified POSCO Group platform combining international trade, resource development, energy operations, industrial materials, mobility, agriculture, and selected infrastructure and sustainability-linked ventures.
- 2023
Merger with POSCO Energy
[1]POSCO International merged with POSCO Energy to integrate upstream and downstream LNG operations.
- 2022
Senex acquisition
[1]POSCO International acquired Australian gas and energy company Senex.
- 2021
ESG bond plan
[1]The company planned its first ESG bond issuance, describing the initiative as a first for a Korean trading company.
- 2020
Electric-vehicle component supply arrangement
[1]POSCO International and Erae AMS were reported to be supplying EV components to VinFast in Vietnam.
- 2019
POSCO International name adopted
[1]The company changed its name to POSCO International Corporation.
- 2017
Merger with POSCO P&S
[1]POSCO Daewoo merged with POSCO P&S.
- 2016
Name changed to POSCO Daewoo
[1]Daewoo International adopted the POSCO Daewoo name as its relationship with POSCO deepened.
- 2000
Daewoo International is established
[1]The trading segment of Daewoo Industrial was separated during the group's work-out process and reorganized as Daewoo International Corporation.
- 1999
Daewoo Group enters crisis and is dismantled
[1]Daewoo faced a major debt crisis, followed by the formal dismantling of the group.
- 1967
Daewoo Industrial is founded
[1]Kim Woo-choong founded Daewoo Industrial Co., Ltd., a company active in trading and construction.
Products and positioning
A diversified global trading and investment platform within POSCO Group, positioned between international commerce, industrial materials, resource development, and integrated green energy.
Industrial materials and trading
Steel products
POSCO International trades and distributes a broad steel portfolio, including semi-finished goods, long products, wire rod, thick plate, hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheet, coated and color steel, electrical steel, automotive steel, stainless steel, and steel for energy and construction applications. The business serves international export, import, and triangular-sales channels as well as domestic processing and distribution.
Automotive and mobility materials · 2020
Mobility and electric-vehicle components
The company participates in automotive and environmentally oriented mobility components, including supply activities connected with electric vehicles. Its mobility portfolio is associated with POSCO Group's wider automotive-materials and processing capabilities, including POSCO Mobility Solution-related operations. In 2020, POSCO International and Erae AMS were reported to supply EV components to Vietnamese automaker VinFast.
Energy
LNG and gas operations
POSCO International's energy business covers gas exploration and production, gas operations, resource development, and LNG-related activities. The 2022 Senex acquisition strengthened its Australian upstream gas presence, while the 2023 merger with POSCO Energy was intended to connect upstream resources with downstream energy operations and create a more integrated LNG value chain.
Energy transition
Renewable and future energy
The company's energy portfolio includes solar and wind projects and identifies hydrogen as an area of interest. These activities sit alongside conventional gas and LNG operations and support the company's stated direction toward a broader green-energy business.
Commodity trading
Agricultural commodities
POSCO International operates in agricultural commodity trading, including grain, palm oil, and cotton. The business forms part of the company's general-trading heritage and remains one of the sectors retained alongside steel and energy after the company's energy-focused restructuring.
New growth businesses
Eco-friendly materials and infrastructure
New-growth activities include bioplastics, environmentally oriented vehicle parts, public infrastructure, and lithium-ion battery materials. These businesses are intended to broaden the company beyond conventional commodity trading and align its industrial portfolio with mobility, energy transition, and sustainability-related demand.
Controversies
2020
Palm-oil deforestation and indigenous land-rights controversy
PT Bio Inti Agrindo, a POSCO International subsidiary, was criticized over the clearing of rainforest for palm-oil plantations in Papua and disputes concerning indigenous communities' land rights. In 2020, the company adopted a deforestation policy and stated that it would compensate for some areas that had been cleared.
Criticism over Myanmar gas projects
POSCO International has faced criticism over its involvement in Myanmar gas operations, including the Shwe gas project. Critics have argued that revenues from such projects can benefit or support Myanmar's military authorities. The Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, which holds a stake in the project, has been subject to European Union sanctions.
Brand decisions
2023
Merger with POSCO EnergyM&ABackground
The company aimed to increase the scale and integration of its energy operations.
Action taken
POSCO International merged with sister company POSCO Energy.
Aftermath
The merger combined upstream and downstream LNG activities and supported the company's stated vision of becoming a green-energy and global-business pioneer.
2022
Acquisition of SenexM&ABackground
POSCO International was expanding its energy and resource-development business.
Action taken
It acquired Australian gas and energy company Senex.
Aftermath
The acquisition strengthened the company's upstream gas position and supported its broader LNG strategy.
2021
Plan for ESG bond issuanceOtherBackground
The company sought to connect its financing with environmental, social, and governance objectives.
Action taken
POSCO International aimed to issue ESG bonds, describing the plan as a first among Korean trading companies.
2019
Adoption of the POSCO International identityStrategyBackground
Following its merger with POSCO P&S in 2017, the company sought a name reflecting its broader POSCO Group role.
Action taken
The company changed its name from POSCO Daewoo to POSCO International Corporation.
Aftermath
The name became the platform's current identity across its trading, energy, materials, and international businesses.
2016
Rebrand from Daewoo International to POSCO DaewooStrategyBackground
The company was operating within the POSCO corporate ecosystem after the restructuring of the former Daewoo Group.
Action taken
It changed its corporate name to POSCO Daewoo.
Aftermath
The rebrand preceded the 2017 POSCO P&S merger and the adoption of the POSCO International name in 2019.
Recent events
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