수자원공사 웹진 물, 자연 그리고 사람

A Milestone in the History of Korean Water Treatment Technology

The 47th WorldSkills Competition took place from September 10 to 15 in Lyon, France. The WorldSkills Competition is an international competitive event where participants compete in around 50 different vocational categories including manufacturing, construction, and IT. This year, 57 Korean individuals competed in 49 categories. Jeong-bo Heo of K-water—the only Korean competitor in the category of water treatment technology—set a new record. Korea ranked 4th in this category both at the 2019 and 2022 WorldSkills Competitions held in Russia and Germany, respectively. This year, Heo set a new milestone and raised the bar by another notch. There is an age limit for the WorldSkills Competition as it is intended to help youths build their career. Competitors are allowed to enter the competition only once. This means that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Heo, and she has taken it and achieved such an impressive result

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Interview

What made you decide to compete at the WorldSkills Competition?

During a professional development training program run by K-water, I met Hyeon-gu Gang, the first Korean competitor in water technology. I saw the Taegeuk mark on his lab coat, and my heart started to pound. The Taegeuk mark is not just given to anyone, you know. You have to excel to earn it. Impressed and inspired by his achievement, I decided to become someone who would represent Korea.

You had to complete 13 tasks in 4 categories at the WorldSkills Competition, which requires intensive training.

While doing my job at work, I often handled water purification facilities. The field experiences proved to be very useful. But I did not have enough knowledge and experiences in sewage treatment. So I had a one-on-one tutoring session with someone with a Ph D in sewage treatment once a week. I personally visited sewage treatment plants in Asan, Pohang, and Gumi and learned extensively from the people working at these plants.
Since it was a major international competition, overcoming nervousness was crucial. To be able to stay calm and focused during the competition, I received special training. We had a mock competition in a setting similar to that of the actual competition so that I could get used to the setting and learn to handle nervousness. The Vice President and other senior officials of K-water came to the mock competition, and I performed the tasks in front of them. Looking back, their presence made me more nervous than the WorldSkills Competition did.

Isn’t so much more required aside from the technical training?

Correct! Physical strength is essential in order to stay focused during the competition that runs for 4 days. So I trained with a professional trainer of a track & field team. I also had to learn English to communicate with other people involved in the international competition. The interpreter helped me, but I needed to communicate on my own in some cases. Finally, this is something I realized after I came back from the competition. Make sure you bring different kinds of medicine. I brought only cold medicine but then developed a runny noise during the competition, which gave me a hard time.

Your dream came true when you finally entered the venue of the WorldSkills Competition, wearing the Taegeuk mark. How did you feel at that moment?

I was overwhelmed. I’ve only handled water technology equipment, but at the site of the competition, there were other types of heavy equipment like forklifts and aircrafts, which made me feel overwhelmed.
Besides, the distance between me and the audience was closer than I expected. Other K-water employees who have previously participated in the competition said it was difficult for them to focus on the tasks in such setting. So I thought listening to loud music during the training would be helpful and I actually listened a lot to “songs banned for CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) takers” (smiles). The song I listened to the most was Ring Ding Dong by Shinee.

Did you think you would be able to win the bronze medal?

On the first day, I thought I had a chance, but then Chinese participants started to move way ahead. I did my best until the very last minute, hoping to win at least the bronze medal. Then, I was so happy to get the bronze medal, which I think is reward and recognition for my efforts.

How did your family, friends, and coworkers react to the news of your winning the bronze medal?

I’ve got a lot of calls and a huge banner was hung at the main gate of the K-water head office building. My family was also very happy for me. I jokingly said to my family, “How about hanging a big banner that says 'The granddaughter of Mr. oo (my grandfather’s name) from oo (his hometown) wins the bronze medal at the WorldSkills Competition'?" but they just laughed, saying it was too much to hang a banner. Actually, I got my calm and easygoing personality from my parents, and it helped me perform well at the competition (smiles).

What are your future goals?

My short-term goal is to help coworkers prepare for the upcoming 2026 WorldSkills Competition. They can probably benefit from my experience at the competition. My long-term goal is to get involved once again in the WorldSkills Competition not as a competitor, but as a skill adviser. It will be a highly rewarding experience to train talented competitors and help them achieve good results as an adviser.

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