POSCO (PKX) Risk Factors

This annual report contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our company and our industry. The forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those statements using words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continues," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "project," "aim," "plan," "likely to," "target," "contemplate," "predict," "potential" and similar expressions and future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "might," "can," "may," or similar expressions generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Those statements include, among other things, the discussions of our business strategy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity and capital resources. We caution you that reliance on any forward-looking statement involves risks and uncertainties, and that although we believe that the assumptions on which our forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and, as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions could be incorrect. The uncertainties in this regard include, but are not limited to, those identified in the risk factors discussed above. In light of these and other uncertainties, you should not conclude that we will necessarily achieve any plans and objectives or projected financial results referred to in any of the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to release the results of any revisions of these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

In part to prepare for the eventual maturation of the Korean steel market, we have made investments in the past decade to secure new growth engines by diversifying into new businesses related to our steel operations that we believe will offer greater potential returns, such as participation in EPC projects in the steel sector and natural resources development, as well as entering into new businesses not related to our steel operations such as power generation and alternative energy solutions, LNG and agricultural trading and production of anode and cathode materials for rechargeable batteries as well as other comprehensive materials such as lithium. From time to time, we may selectively acquire or invest in companies to pursue such diversification strategy. The success of our diversification strategy will depend, in part, on our ability to realize the anticipated growth opportunities and synergies. Some of our diversification efforts have not been successful. For example, in 2018, we incurred impairment loss of Won 810 billion related to our synthetic natural gas production facility in Gwangyang due to our discontinuation of the business which we had launched in 2011, which was adversely impacted by a decline in the market price of liquefied natural gas ("LNG"). In 2019, we incurred impairment loss of Won 74 billion related to the discontinued operation of a ferrosilicon facility in Pohang and Won 70 billion related to the discontinued operation of a compact endless cast-rolling mill facility in Gwangyang. The realization of the anticipated benefits from our diversification efforts depends on numerous factors, some of which are outside our control, including the availability of qualified personnel, establishment of new relationships and expansion of existing relationships with various customers and suppliers, procurement of necessary technology and know-how to engage in such businesses and decreases in the prices of competing products or services that make our products or services less competitive. The realization of the anticipated benefits may be impeded, delayed or reduced as a result of numerous factors, some of which are outside our control. These factors include: -   difficulties in integrating the operations of the acquired business, including information and accounting systems, personnel, policies and procedures, and in reorganizing or reducing overlapping operations, marketing networks and administrative functions, which may require significant amounts of time, financial resources and management attention;-   unforeseen contingent risks or latent liabilities relating to the acquisition that may become apparent in the future;-   difficulties in managing a larger business; and -   loss of key management personnel or customers. In addition, in order to finance these acquisitions, we intend to use cash on hand, funds from operations, issuances of equity and debt securities, and, if necessary, financings from banks and other sources as well as entering into consortiums with financial investors. However, no assurance can be given that we will be able to obtain sufficient financing for such acquisitions or investments on terms commercially acceptable to us or at all. We cannot assure you that our diversification strategy can be completed profitably or that the diversification efforts will not adversely affect our combined business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the Labor Standards Act, an employee's "ordinary wage" is used as the basis for calculating various statutory benefits. Prior to the Supreme Court of Korea's decision described below, we and other companies in Korea had interpreted the previous guidelines issued by the Ministry of Employment and Labor as excluding fixed bonuses that are paid other than on a monthly basis, such as bi monthly, quarterly or biannually paid bonuses, from employees' ordinary wages. In December 2013, the Supreme Court of Korea ruled that regularly paid bonuses, including those that are paid other than on a monthly basis, are included in the scope of employees' ordinary wages if these bonuses are paid (i) "regularly," (ii) "uniformly" and (iii) on a "fixed basis," notwithstanding differential amounts based on seniority. Under this decision, any provision of a collective bargaining agreement or other agreements that attempt to exclude such regular bonuses from employees' ordinary wages will be deemed void for violation of the mandatory provisions of Korean law. The Supreme Court of Korea's decision clarified that if payment of a regular bonus is limited only to those working for the employer on a specific date, such bonus is not fixed and thus does not constitute part of an employee's ordinary wage. The Ministry of Employment and Labor subsequently published guidelines in January 2014 (the "Guidelines"). According to the Guidelines, the Government excludes, from ordinary wages, regular bonuses contingent on employment on a specific date. Based on the Supreme Court of Korea's decision and the Guidelines, we believe that regular bonuses we have paid to our employees are likely not required to be included in their ordinary wages because we have paid regular bonuses only to those working for us on the date of payment calculation, the 15th day of each month. However, if we are nonetheless determined to have underpaid employees by under-calculating their ordinary wages over the past three years or in the future, we may be liable for additional payments reflecting the expanded scope of employees' ordinary wages. Any such additional payments may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We purchase substantially all of the principal raw materials we use from sources outside Korea, including iron ore and coal. POSCO imported approximately 51 million dry metric tons of iron ore and 27 million wet metric tons of coal in 2020. Iron ore is imported primarily from Australia, Brazil and Canada. Coal is imported primarily from Australia, Canada and Russia. Although we have not experienced significant unanticipated supply disruptions in the past, supply disruptions, which could be caused by political or other events in the countries from which we import these materials, could adversely affect our operations. In addition, we are particularly exposed to increases in the prices of coal, iron ore and nickel, which represent the largest components of our cost of goods sold. The prices of our key raw materials have fluctuated significantly in recent years. For example, the average market price of coal per wet metric ton (Premium Low Vol Coking Coal, FOB Australia Index announced by Platts) was US$207 in 2018, US$176 in 2019 and US$124 in 2020. The average market price of iron ore per dry metric ton (Iron Ore 62% Fe, CFR China Index announced by Platts) was US$69 in 2018, US$93 in 2019 and US$109 in 2020. Our long-term supply contracts generally have terms of three to ten years and provide for periodic price adjustments to the then-market prices. We typically adjust the prices on a quarterly basis and maintain approximately one month of inventory of raw materials. Such price adjustments are driven by various factors, including the global economic outlook, global market prices of raw materials and steel products, supply and demand outlook of raw materials and production costs of raw materials. For both coal and iron ore, we typically agree on the purchase price with the suppliers primarily based on the spot market price periodically announced by Platts (Premium Low Vol Coking Coal, FOB Australia Index and Iron Ore 62% Fe, CFR China Index). As of December 31, 2020, 57 million tons of iron ore and 10 million tons of coal remained to be purchased under long-term supply contracts. Future increases in prices of our key raw materials and our inability to pass along such increases to our customers could adversely affect our margins and profits. Increased prices may also cause potential customers to defer purchase of steel products, while rapidly falling prices may increase loss on valuation of raw material inventory purchased when prices were higher, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business relies heavily on mission-critical, complex and interdependent information technology systems that support our business processes. It involves the storage and transmission of confidential information relating to us as well as our customers and suppliers. Any significant breach in our information security could expose us to a risk of loss, improper use or disclosure of such information, and could give rise to significant liability or litigation, any of which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business. We believe that there has been no instance of a material breach in our information security to date that resulted in significant disruption of our operations and had a significant adverse effect on our operational results, or on third parties, including our customers and suppliers. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to prevent security incidents or other breaches in our information security from having a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial viability or reputation. In addition, our information security measures may fail due to external and internal security threats, outages, malicious intrusions and attacks, programming or human errors and malfeasance, or other similar events. Instituting appropriate access controls and safeguards across our information technology infrastructure is challenging. Furthermore, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees to divulge sensitive information to gain access to our data or our customers' data or access credentials. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade services or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until attacks are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. If an actual or perceived breach of our cybersecurity occurs or the market perception of the effectiveness of our information security measures is compromised, this may lead to significant legal and financial exposure, including legal claims and regulatory fines and penalties, reputational harm and a loss of confidence of our customers, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate ("EURIBOR") and other indices which are deemed to be "benchmarks" are the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. Some of these reforms are already effective while others have yet to be implemented. These reforms may cause such benchmarks to perform differently than in the past, or to disappear entirely, or have other consequences which cannot be predicted. Any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on any securities linked to such benchmarks. Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 (the "Benchmark Regulation") was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 29, 2016 and has been in force since January 1, 2018. The Benchmark Regulation applies to the provision of benchmarks, the contribution of input data to a benchmark and the use of a benchmark, within the European Union. Among other things, (i) it requires benchmark administrators (such as ICE Benchmark Administration Limited and the European Money Market Institute, which currently administer LIBOR and EURIBOR, respectively) to be authorized or registered (or, if non-European Union based, to be subject to an equivalent regime or otherwise recognized or endorsed) and (ii) it prevents certain uses by European Union-supervised entities of benchmarks of administrators that are not authorized or registered (or, if non-European Union based, not deemed equivalent or recognized or endorsed). In March 2021, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), which has regulatory authority with respect to LIBOR, announced that all LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative (i) after December 31, 2021 in the case of all Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc and Japanese Yen settings and the one-week and two-month Dollar settings and (ii) after June 30, 2023 in the case of remaining Dollar settings. While the ICE Benchmark Administration may publish certain LIBOR settings on the basis of a synthetic methodology for "tough legacy" contracts, there is no guarantee that such rates will be determined and published after the announced deadlines nor confirmed to be representative by the FCA. The Benchmark Regulation could have a material impact on any securities linked to a rate or index deemed to be a benchmark, in particular, if the methodology or other terms of the benchmark are changed in order to comply with the requirements of the Benchmark Regulation. Such changes could, among other things, have the effect of reducing, increasing or otherwise affecting the volatility of the published rate or level of the benchmark. More broadly, any of the international, national or other proposals for reform, or the general increased regulatory scrutiny of benchmarks, could increase the costs and risks of administering or otherwise participating in the setting of a benchmark and complying with any such regulations or requirements. Such factors may have the following effects on certain benchmarks: (i) discourage market participants from continuing to administer or contribute to such benchmark; (ii) trigger changes in the rules or methodologies used in the benchmarks or (iii) lead to the disappearance of the benchmark. Any of the above changes or any other consequential changes as a result of international, national or other proposals for reform or other initiatives or investigations, could have a material adverse effect on the value of and return on any securities linked to a benchmark. Moreover, if a benchmark ceases to be calculated or administered and no replacement base rate is identified or selected, the fallback provisions for the interest rate calculations under the securities may result in interest accruing at a fixed rate based on the rate which applied in the previous period when the benchmark was available, effectively converting the securities into fixed rate securities.

As a steel producer with global sales and operations, we are involved in trade remedy proceedings in markets worldwide, including in the United States. We actively participate in such proceedings to minimize any adverse effects and associated risks. While there has been an increase in the number of trade cases in recent years, and an increased focus on trade issues by government officials, such cases have been limited in scope relative to our global sales and operations. We continue to carefully monitor developments with respect to trade remedy policy in all markets in which we participate and, where necessary, vigorously defend our rights through litigation before tribunals such as the U.S. Court of International Trade. Our products that are subject to anti-dumping duties, safeguard duties, countervailing duties, quotas or tariffs in the aggregate currently have not had a material adverse impact on our business and operations in recent years. However, there can be no assurance that increases in, or new impositions of, anti-dumping duties, safeguard duties, countervailing duties, quotas or tariffs on our exports of products abroad may not have a material adverse impact on our exports in the future.

We are subject to national and local environmental laws and regulations, including increasing pressure to reduce emission of carbon dioxide relating to our manufacturing process, and our steel manufacturing and construction operations could expose us to risk of substantial liability relating to environmental or health and safety issues, such as those resulting from discharge of pollutants and carbon dioxide into the environment, the handling, storage and disposal of solid or hazardous materials or wastes and the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites. We may be responsible for the investigation and remediation of environmental conditions at currently and formerly operated manufacturing or construction sites. We may also be subject to associated liabilities, including liabilities for natural resource damage, third party property damage or personal injury resulting from lawsuits brought by the Government or private litigants. In the course of our operations, hazardous wastes may be generated at third party-owned or operated sites, and hazardous wastes may be disposed of or treated at third party-owned or operated disposal sites. If those sites become contaminated, we could also be held responsible for the cost of investigation and remediation of such sites, for any associated natural resource damage, and for civil or criminal fines or penalties.

Steel. The markets for our steel products are highly competitive and we face intense global competition. China is the largest steel producing country in the world by a significant margin, with the balance between its domestic production and demand being an important factor in the determination of global steel prices. In recent years, a slowdown in domestic demand for steel products in China resulting from slowed economic growth as well as the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an expansion in steel production capacity, has led to production over-capacity in the Chinese steel industry, which in turn has led the Chinese government to pursue aggressive consolidation in the Chinese steel industry, such as the consolidation of Baosteel Group and Wuhan Iron and Steel in 2016, that has resulted in fewer but larger steel manufacturers that are able to compete more effectively in the global steel industry. In addition, the global steel industry has experienced consolidation in the past. Competition from such global steel manufacturers with expanded production capacity as well as competitors from emerging markets, especially from China and India, has resulted in significant price competition and may result in declining margins and reductions in revenue in the future. Our larger competitors may use their resources, which may be greater than ours, against us in a variety of ways, including by making additional acquisitions, investing more aggressively in product development and capacity and displacing demand for our export products. Increased production capacity, combined with decreased demand resulting from a slowdown of the global economy, has from time to time resulted in production over-capacity in the global steel industry which in turn has resulted in downward pressure on global steel prices. Such production over-capacity in the global steel industry was exacerbated in 2020 due to a decrease in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although demand for steel products has shown signs of recovery in select regions starting in the second half of 2020, production over-capacity in global steel industry may intensify if global economic recovery slows or demand from developing countries, particularly from China, continues to lag behind the growth in production capacity. Production over-capacity in the global steel industry is likely to: -   reduce export prices in Dollar terms of our principal products, which in turn may reduce our sales prices in Korea;-   increase competition in the Korean market as foreign producers seek to export steel products to Korea as other markets experience a slowdown;-   negatively affect demand for our products abroad and our ability to expand export sales; and -   affect our ability to increase steel production in general. Steel also competes with other natural and synthetic materials that may be used as steel substitutes, such as aluminum, cement, composites, glass, plastic and wood. Government regulatory initiatives mandating the use of such materials instead of steel, whether for environmental or other reasons, as well as the development of attractive alternative substitutes for steel products, may reduce demand for steel products and increase competition in the global steel industry. As part of our strategy to compete in this challenging landscape, we will continue to invest in developing innovative products that offer the greatest potential returns and enhance the overall quality of our products, as well as make additional investments in the development of new manufacturing technologies. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to compete successfully in this economic environment or that the prolonged slowdown of the global economy or production over-capacity will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Trading. POSCO International competes principally with other Korean general trading companies that are affiliated with major domestic business groups, as well as global trading companies based in other countries. In the domestic market, competition for export transactions on behalf of domestic suppliers and import transactions on behalf of domestic purchasers was limited, as most affiliated general trading companies of large Korean business groups generally relied on affiliate transactions for the bulk of their trading business. However, in recent years, many of these Korean general trading companies have reduced their reliance on their affiliated business group and transactions carried out on behalf of their member companies and instead have generally evolved to focus on segments of the import and export markets in which they have a competitive advantage. As a result, competition among Korean general trading companies in the area of traditional trade has become more intense. The overseas trading markets in which POSCO International operates are also highly competitive. POSCO International's principal competitors in overseas trading markets include Korean trading companies that operate in various international markets, as well as foreign trading companies, particularly those based in Japan. As POSCO International diversifies into businesses other than traditional trading such as natural resources development, it also increasingly competes with other Korean and international companies involved in these businesses. Some of POSCO International's competitors may be more experienced and have greater financial resources and pricing flexibility than POSCO International, as well as more extensive global networks and wider access to customers. There is no assurance that POSCO International will be able to continue to compete successfully in this economic environment or that the prolonged slowdown of the global economy will not have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations or financial condition. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, we recognized impairment of goodwill of Won 158 billion, Won 55 billion and Won 189 billion, respectively, related to a decrease in value-in-use of POSCO International. Construction. POSCO E&C, our consolidated subsidiary, operates in the highly competitive construction industry. Competition is based primarily on price, reputation for quality, reliability, punctuality and financial strength of contractors. Intense competition among construction companies may result in, among other things, a decrease in the price POSCO E&C can charge for its services, difficulty in winning bids for construction projects, an increase in construction costs and difficulty in obtaining high-quality contractors and qualified employees. In Korea, POSCO E&C's main competition in the construction of residential and non-residential buildings, EPC (or engineering, procurement and construction) projects, urban planning and development projects and civil works projects consists of approximately ten major domestic construction companies, many of which are member companies of other large business groups in Korea and are capable of undertaking larger-scale, higher-value-added projects that offer greater potential returns. A series of measures introduced by the Government over the past several years to regulate housing prices in Korea, as well as increasing popularity of low-bid contracts in civil works project mandates, have contributed to increased competition in the Korean construction industry in recent years. Competition for new project awards in overseas markets is also intense. In these markets, POSCO E&C faces competition from local construction companies and other major Korean construction companies with overseas operations, as well as international construction companies from other countries. Construction companies from other developed countries may be more experienced, have greater financial resources and possess more sophisticated technology than POSCO E&C, while construction companies from developing countries often have the advantage of lower wage costs. Some of these competitors have achieved higher market penetration than POSCO E&C has in specific markets in which it competes, and POSCO E&C may need to accept lower margins in order for it to compete successfully against them. POSCO E&C's failure to successfully compete in the domestic or overseas construction markets could adversely affect its market position and its results of operations and financial condition.