K-water President Park Jae-hyeon attends a ceremony in which K-water and SMG sealed an MOU on the joint exploring and nurturing of nnovative technologies related to the water industry at the new building of Seoul City Hall on Oct. 8. (Photo: K-water)

Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) has joined forces with Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) to purse innovative growth of the water industry and reinvigorate the national economy.

K-water and SMG sealed an MOU on Oct. 8 on the joint exploration and nurturing of innovative technologies related to the water industry at the new building of Seoul City Hall.

The takeaways of the deal are: they promote the general public’s water welfare and joint cooperation for the development of the water industry; contribute to economic revival by exploring prominent companies in the water field; cooperate in their jointly exploring excellent water industry technologies and products and their test-bed for field certification and joint purchases; and the exchange of joint research and new water industry technology.

Under the agreement, K-water and SMG will explore and nurture mid-size companies with a competitive edge, develop new technologies and products and provide their marketing activities, and cooperate in their joint entry in the global water industry market.

A working-level consultative committee designed to promote innovative growth of the water industry, comprising of working-level officials from the two organizations, will be formed, and it will have detailed discussions on ways of executing details, including the nurturing of startups, technology development and supporting marketing activities.

Both sides made preparations for joint collaboration prior to the sealing of the deal.

For instance, K-water and SMG verified the function and efficiency of a “pipe conduit exploration CCTV robot,” developed by a Korean SME in cooperation of K-water. The test-operation of the robot was done at Seoul’s pipeline in April.

Meanwhile, K-water has made every effort to nurture the Korean water industry by offering institutional support such as sharing outcomes for innovative growth of SMEs and SME technology development support.

The corporation inaugurated the “Water Industry Innovation Department,” designed to offer diverse technology development support steps for SMEs. K-water has so far assisted in 163 certifications of products and their marking activities.

K-water President Park Jae-hyeon said, “Both organizations, accounting for 65 percent of the nation’s total tap water supply amounts, have agreed to cooperate, serving as an opportunity to give a fresh impetus into the Korea water industry.”

K-water will devote itself as a corporation specializing in water management by developing innovative technologies related to the “Korean New Deal” in the water/environment sectors and creating jobs, he added.

Busan Eco Delta Smart City to Get Smarter with Innovative Technologies

K-water has finalized 11 innovative technologies to be introduced at “Busan Eco Delta Smart City,” which is one of the national smart pilot cities.

The corporation announced a list of innovative technology finalists selected in a public contest on Sept. 23. The contest, targeting SMEs and startups, was conducted for 43 days between July 10 and Aug. 21.

The finalized technologies include an eco-friendly information platform, a real-time water care, a smart sewage can, a smart pole (street light), a smart bench, an AI athletic center, a smart management robot, a real-time health management system, and a wellness center, and a smart farm.

They will be introduced and verified at “Smart Village,” a first phase complex being built under the smart pilot city project.

K-water Declares Participation in ‘RE100’

K-water held a ceremony at K-water headquarters in Daejeon on Nov. 16 to mark the 53rd anniversary by pledging climate change response and people-oriented water management innovation.

K-water, spearheading carbon neutrality as the nation No. 1 renewal energy company, became the first public entity to make it public to join in an “RE100” iniative in order to conform to the government’s declaration of carbon neutrality.

RE100 is the global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing together hundreds of large and ambitious businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity.

K-water plans to support Korean companies’ efforts to join in the RE100 initiative by expanding clean water energy supply such as water photovoltaic power and hydrothermal energy.

K-water also suggested detailed action plans to become a global integrated water platform company, a new vision declared by the corporation in July.