Pohang Steel Art Museum — A Sculptural Canvas from Korea's Steel City

At a Glance

Pohang Steel Art Museum opened in 2015 inside Hwanho Park in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, as Korea's first public museum dedicated to steel sculpture. Founded and operated jointly by POSCO and the City of Pohang, the museum sits on a coastal hill that adds East Sea views to the indoor galleries and outdoor sculpture park.

A Steel City's Self-Portrait

The museum grew out of the annual Pohang Steel Art Festival (since 2012), which celebrates half a century of Korea's steel industry. As commissioned sculptures accumulated, the city built permanent galleries in 2015 in Hwanho Park. The building is clad in steel, Corten, and matte stainless, tying architecture back to Pohang's industrial identity.

Must-See Holdings

• Permanent steel-sculpture collection rotating works by Korean sculptors such as Jung Kwang-sik, Lee Yong-baek, and Choi Tae-hoon.
• Outdoor sculpture park along Hwanho Park's trails—about 40 large-scale steel works set against the sea.
• Steel Art Festival highlights, rotated in each year.
• Family and education programming every weekend, blending steelmaking and art.

Visiting Tips

Budget an hour for the galleries, but two to three if you walk the full sculpture trail. The 2021 POSCO-donated SpaceWalk spiral at the park's summit has become a Pohang landmark—rare in Korea for being a walk-on sculpture. Reach the park by car in 15–20 minutes from Pohang KTX station. Admission is free. Closed Mondays.