K-water has been selected as Microsoft’s first official domestic water restoration partner, embarking on global cooperation for climate crisis response and creation of a sustainable water circulation system. Both parties signed an MOU in August to achieve Water Positive outcomes and agreed to improve the quality of water flowing into Soyang Dam by creating artificial wetlands upstream of the dam in Buksan-myeon, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do as the first joint project under the MOU. Microsoft covers the costs of wetland construction and maintenance, with K-water leading design and project execution.

Once completed, the project is expected to reduce incoming non-point source pollutants (suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) by about 30% and restore approximately 340,000 tons of water annually. This marks the first domestic case of one-to-one partnership between a public institution and a global company in water restoration, establishing the foundation for an ESG-based, private-public initiative to build sustainable ecosystems.

K-water became the first Korean public institution to participate in the carbon neutrality domain of the EU’s leading research and innovation program “Horizon Europe,” a global collaborative research platform launched jointly by research institutions, companies, and universities worldwide to address climate change, energy transition, and smart cities.

The Clean Energy Integration in Building Environments project aims to transform buildings from mere electricity consumers into “energy self-sufficient spaces” that produce, store, and share power. K-water was officially selected in July 2025, following its preliminary proposal submitted in November 2024 and subsequent approval by the General Secretariat of the European Union. Over a three-year period starting in 2026, K-water will lead the development and demonstration of a digital twin and AI-based Building Energy Management System (BEMS) platform.

K-water signed an MOU with Nagai City, NTT East Japan, NTT e-Drone Technology, and Naver Cloud on August 6 to work together in enhancing disaster response using digital twins and drones.

As an agricultural city located in Southern Yamagata Prefecture, Nagai is at risk of high floods due to Mogami River and its tributaries that run through the city. Under the MOU, K-water will leverage its digital twin technology in providing intuitive scenario-based analysis for dam operation and water management decision making; thus enabling more efficient, science-based responses.

This agreement is expected to serve as a turning point for K-water’s full-fledged entry into advanced countries' markets the company will also make every effort to ensure that the technology is disseminated as a global solution drawing worldwide attention.

K-water held an “Open Innovation R&D Agreement Ceremony” on August 7 with domestic industry-academe-research institutions to accelerate future water technology development in response to the climate crises, which are intensifying at an increasing rate.

The institutions were selected via an open call for nine projects including AI-based water management digital twin technology, smart pipeline management, ultra-pure water for semiconductor production, and seawater desalination.

K-water plans to activley support R&D actively to enhance water safety and innovation, ensuring that the practical outcomes serve as a springboard for AI-driven digital water management transformation. In line with the government's ambition to position Korea among the world’s top three AI powerhouses, K-water will invest a total of KRW 10 billion over four years in open innovation research to accelerate the development of next-generation water technologies, including AI and digital twins; thereby reinforcing its leadership in the future water industry.