President Choi Gye-woon of Korea Water Resources Corp. 

Dignitaries at the Water Day Ceremony held on March 20 in Gyeongju, N. Gyeongsang Province led by Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo are lined up during the ceremony in this photo.(Photos:MLIT)

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) have jointly hosted the World Water Day ceremony with the theme of "Water and Sustainable Development" on March 20 at the HICO Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The dignitaries present the event included Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu, First Deputy Minister Kim Kyung-shik of the MOLIT, Gov. Kim Kwang-young of North Gyeongsang Province, Mayor Kwon Young-jin of Daegu Metropolitan City, and Mayor Kim Yang-shik of Gyeongju City, among others. They joined some 2,000 participants to commemorate the eventful day, which was designated by the United Nations at its 47th General Assembly in 1992.

The body wanted to tell the entire world about the critical importance of water and call for the participation of the entire world to solve problems associated with preserving water for the survival of mankind.

Korea has been observing World Water Day since 1995 and the ceremony on March 20 is more significant than past ceremonies because it precedes the 7th World Water Forum scheduled to be held on April 12 to create an environment for the success of the global water event by holding the World Water Day ceremony in Gyeongju.

Prime Minister Lee presented the citations to 16 people who made recognizable contributions to the development of technologies for the preservation of water. Professor Hur Jun-haeng of Yonsei University was presented with the National Medal for completing the first damage evaluation report under the Natural Disaster Measures Law legislated in 1996, along with coming up with FARD, an analysis of rain frequency. 

In connection with the commemoration of World Water Day this year, various events were held throughout the nation on March 20, such as tree planting, academic gathering, photo exhibitions, ecology exploration and others. About 170,000 participants and 689 water-related organizations across the country took part.

World Water Day and World Water Forum will become more significant around the world as droughts and frequent weather changes have a negative impact on many people around the world, officials of MILT said. They expect diverse water preservation activities in Korea to be a great help for the export of Korea's water preservation technologies and.

The 7th World Water Forum, called the "water Olympics," should have heads of state, ministers and vice ministers, international organizations, businessmen, academics and citizens representatives participating among some 35,000 participants to show off Korea's water management technologies and systems. 

The World Water Forum in Daegu on April 12 will include four major sections. It will have a section for major themes, politicals, science technology, and regional, among some 400 other sessions and sideline events, including the Citizens Forum, the largest in the World Water Forum held so far in the world. 

At the global water event taking place in Daegu, the major theme, a science technology section and Expo are scheduled to be held, while a citizens forum, political section and regional sections are taking place in the ancient city of Gyeongju. The MOLIT officials said World Water Day in March and the World Water Forum in April would boost the public awareness of the importance of water and also Korea's image as an advanced country around the world, helping Korean companies expand exports.