President Choi Gye-woon of Korea Water Resources Corp.(K-water) delivers his speech at his inaugural ceremony held on Nov. 5 at K-water auditorium.

President Choi Gye-woon of Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) said during his inaugural ceremony at the K-water auditorium on Nov. 5, that he will see the company do its job well as a professional government-run firm in managing water resources winning the trust of the people while doing its best to fulfill its responsibilities. 

K-water also declared its “Management-Labor One Mind Partnership” in a ceremony to celebrate its 46th anniversary on Nov. 15 at the company’s Daejeon Head Office. The declaration signed by CEO Choi and union chief Lee Young-woo is designed to see continuous growth of K-water, which will do its best to lead the happiness of the people as the only government-owned company in charge of controlling water resources based on new management-union cooperation.

K-water donated 100 million won to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, along with 200,000 bottles of water.

The former Incheon University professor said he will be at the forefront of an intensive drive to see K-water boost its position where it can lead the future global water management system, creating jobs through the development of special technologies to set up a new business model for water management that is both scientific and futuristic and to expand its overseas operations in line with government policies.

K-water should lead futuristic growth by developing a smart water grid and an integrated water management system and expand its overseas operations to strengthen its international role through close cooperation with foreign water resources organizations, the former professor said.

Choi also promised to have smooth relations with the labor union and fair personnel policies that take into consideration such various factors as ability, performance results, and social services in personnel evaluations so that a new corporate culture in which the organization and individuals can exist together and management and the union can live together in a clear and transparent manner. “We ought to always have in our minds the nation and the people so K-water can become a top water resources management company in the world,” Choi said.

“We ought to manage K-water well so that it would be able to save the people from water-related disasters by protecting their properties. We should also support the development of the industry by ensuring a consistent and stable water supply and the welfare of the people as part of our efforts to expand public welfare in the country, a key job for the company,” the new CEO said.

“We must be faithful to principles and basics so that we can win the respect of the people and become a government-invested firm with the most respect from the people. In order to do so, we have to maintain broad communication with the people, so we can know what the people need and think about ways to deliver what they want as a company with various know-how and technologies to manage waterfalls, water quality, streams, and ecology. Therefore, K-water should be at the center of solving all the problems as far as water is concerned.” Choi said.

Choi also called for unity of all officers and employees by rejecting personal ties in the company such as school ties, regional ties, units, the head office and local offices, among others, as they can harm the harmony and unity inside the company by becoming the sources of conflicts. “As far as I am the CEO, those things will never be allowed,” Choi said firmly.

“Only ability and performance results matter, along with social services for fair personnel evaluations for which I will be a model,” Choi pledged.

On June 10, the government announced that the Korean consortium was picked as a preferred bidder in two of the nine river control projects in Thailand.

The consortium led by K-water was named the potential winner of two projects worth 6.2 trillion won ($5.47 billion) combined. This amount accounts for 56 percent of the 11-trillion won river control program in the Southeast Asian country, K-water announced.