Water, Nature and Humankind : Korea Water Webzine

K-water Focus ①
K-water, Spotlighted as a Leader of Resolving Water Issues in Asia The 4th General Assembly of the Asia Water Council & Kickoff of the 3rd Asia International Water Week
The kickoff meeting for the 3rd Asia International Water Week, the largest water conference in Asia and the 4th General Assembly of the Asia Water Council (AWC) were held for three days in July at the K-water Songsan Global Education & Research Center.
Text by Yeong-eun Kim Photos by Jeong-ho Kim

Making Strides toward Asia’s Largest Water Conference

From July 5 to 7, the kickoff meeting for the 3rd Asia International Water Week, the largest water conference in Asia and the 4th General Assembly of the Asia Water Council (hereinafter AWC) were held at K-water Songsan Global Education & Research Center.

This year’s General Assembly, which was held on the 6th, marked the first offline meeting in four years since the outbreak of COVID-19, with more than 350 water industry experts and delegates from 20 countries attending, with meaningful proceedings to elect the third-term directorial institutions and president (2023~2026). Founded in 2016, the AWC consists of 164 member institutions from 24 countries, and has played a leading role in implementing water projects and tackling water issues in Asia. K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae was elected the 4th president of the AWC. Since its foundation, every AWC president has been a K-water CEO. K-water CEO Yun said, “With its track record, I am confident the AWC will carry on its role as a cooperation platform in Asia’s water industry under the new leadership including the new directorial institutions.” Moreover, reports on the agendas of major water projects and AWC future operation plan were presented, and emphasis was placed on the need for public-private partnership to resolve various water issues.

Beyond Asia toward the World!

On July 7, the official kickoff meeting for the 3rd Asia International Water Week (AIWW) took place. Based on the theme of “Enhancing Our Future Water Security”, the event featured keynote speeches by delegates from related organizations, discussions and selection of experts. The main kickoff event, the 3rd Asia International Water Week will be held from September 24 to 28, 2024 in Beijing, China. On the last day (July 8) of the event, the participants went on a tour of facilities including Sihwa Tidal Power Plant and Hwaseong Water Purification Plant and wrapped up the schedule with a visit to K-water's advanced water management system. As the AWC president and a leading company in the water management industry, K-water will take the initiative as a benchmark leader for Korean water companies to expand their business globally by actively tackling water issues in Asia and beyond.

Jae-won Lee, Deputy General Manager of K-water’s Global Cooperation Office

"It was a great experience for me to organize such a big occasion attended by all AWC members. Going forward, there are high hopes for AWC to raise its international profile as Asia’s leading water platform and network by making major strides beyond borders. I highly anticipate that both the AWC and K-water will make meaningful strides to catapult ahead under the newly elected leadership."

Leonor C. Cleofas, Deputy Administrator, (Manila) Metropolitan Waterworks & Sewerage System

“As a founding member of the AWC, I am pleased to attend the 4th AWC General Assembly. With good reason, I am optimistic that AWC can continue to broaden its horizons down the line. I think AWC and K-water can arrive at the optimal technology, management strategies and positive outcomes by cooperating and exchanging benchmark cases.”