1. The Foreign Ministry will host a “Conference on International Cooperation in Water Industry” in Seoul on September 18 to support bids of Korean companies to expand their presence in the rapidly growing global water market amid climate change and the population growth.

2. The Conference, which will kick off with opening remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lee Jeong-kyu and congratulatory remarks by President Lee Hak-soo of Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water), will consist of four sessions on the outlook of the global water sector; water business in the Middle East and North Africa; water business in Southeast Asia and South Asia; and water business in other regions.

° The event will bring together senior officials of large ordering organizations of eight countries, including the Managing Director of Bangladesh’s Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority, the Director of Morocco’s Bouregreg and Chaouia Hydraulic Basin Agency, the Assistant Administrator of the Philippines’ Manila Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, and the General Manager of Oman’s state-run Haya Water Management, as well as relevant experts from the World Bank and UN University. The participants will share with one another information on new projects overseas and discuss in depth ways to work with Korean companies.

※ In particular, as top-level officials at the Philippine and Omani organizations in charge of placing new project orders, which are drawing keen interest from Korean companies, will attend the Conference, many water-related entrepreneurs at home are expected to participate in the event.

° In addition, in conjunction with the event will come business meetings and other networking opportunities between foreign guests and water-related Korean companies.

※ Two business meetings have been arranged to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies build presence overseas and thereby achieve shared growth.

3. The Foreign Ministry is also making arrangements for the foreign guests to attend in group the “second Korea International Water Week” event, the largest water-related international event held in the Republic of Korea, which will take place in Gyeongju from September 20 till 23 to disseminate the outcome of the seventh World Water Forum held in Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do (province), in April 2015; as well as the “first Asia International Water Week” event, which Asian countries will take part in to seek cooperation in water management in the region.

° Those “water week” events are expected to help promote the ROK’s advanced technologies in water industry, including those for information and communications technology (ICT)-based smart water management and seawater desalination, and to lead to an increase in project cooperation with Korean companies.

4. The Foreign Ministry will use the Conference to support the ROK’s core technologies in water industry, such as those for smart water management and seawater desalination, to expand presence overseas. To that end, it will continuously step up economic diplomacy, including by having its overseas missions support bids of related Korean companies to enter overseas markets and working more closely with relevant government agencies and organizations as well as private companies.

° Given that infrastructure projects takes 3-5 years of construction and 30-50 years of long-term management, the expanded overseas presence of water-related Korean companies is expected to contribute greatly to the creation of quality jobs.


* unofficial translation