POSCO said Monday that it has further strengthened its protection of human rights and environmental values in a recent revision to the company’s codes of ethics.

As part of the revision, which took effect on Saturday, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker added new rules banning all discrimination based on race, nationality, marriage and sexual orientation.

It was the first time a Korean company has included a ban on discrimination against sexual minorities in its corporate codes of ethics, according to industry sources.

POSCO said the revision came to meet the growing demand for strengthened social responsibility following global initiatives encouraging sustainable and socially responsible policies such as the United Nations Global Compact.

In order to strengthen the human rights category, the company added a new code of ethics, which encourages respect for individual dignity, privacy and other basic rights of company members.

The company, which had banned discrimination based on educational background, region, gender, age and religion, this time extended the range of protection to include social minority groups.

Regarding environmental issues, the company also pledged to seek a sustainable, eco-friendly management through environment protection and the effective use of natural resources.

“Through the revision, the company aims to have new codes of ethics appropriate for a global company. We will carry out more socially responsible activities,” said a company official.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)