OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2012. POSCO and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, leading steel companies of Korea and Japan, respectively, partnered in cultural exchange through (The Walking with Classic) concert held at the POSCO Center. Both companies started the cultural exchange concert with (Beautiful Friends) in 2008, and are in their 7th year going back and forth between Japan and Korea, reported the press-centre of POSCO.

At the event, 500 people attended including CEO Chung Joonyang and his wife, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation Chairman Muneoka Shoji and his wife, and Vice President Shindo, President Park Hanyong Park of POSCO, along with other employees and the general public. Young performers of both Korea and Japan presented beautiful melodies through the harmony of piano, string, and woodwinds instruments.

At this year`s performance, Japan`s Quartet Excelsior and NHK Symphony Orchestra`s Yoshida Shu (contrabass), pianist Kawahara Tadayuki, and Korea`s flutist Jieun Park performed 7 familiar chamber music pieces together.

The POSCO and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation concert started with the charity concert (Beautiful Friends) held back in April of 2008 as part of the first cultural exchange between the Korean and Japanese companies, followed by the Kioi Sinfonietta New Year`s Concert in January and a Japanese traditional cultural performance in June, followed by the November Korean traditional cultural performance of 2009, Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo concert in July 2010, and the Ditto Ensemble concert in September of 2011, serving as an opportunity to solidify the strategic partnership entered back in August of 2000.

Both companies plan to continue various cultural exchange activities between Korea and Japan as well as carry out Mecenat activities.