▲ Korea Water Partnership / President Yoon Ju-hwan

According to a report from the Ministry of Environment, South Korea’s water industry marked worth 24 trillion won (20 billion USD) as of 2015. It is about 1.6% of the GDP. 
Water industry embraces companies that supply, purify, desalinate and manage water publicly or privately. The public takes largely the water supply, sewage management, water resources and agricultural use and the private takes largely the bottled water, water purifiers and industrial sewage treatment. 
The Korea Water Partnership set sail in 2015 as a non-profit organization and turned into a legal statutory body in June 2018 on passing the Water Management, development and Promotion Act at the National Assembly.
KWP promotes international partnership, cooperation and exchange and carries out running the test bed, technology assessment, support, marketing and global networks. 
In order to get into the US water market, which takes 25% of the global water market, KWP has been carrying out EPA projects, signing MOUs with WERF and NSF, and participating in WEF and AWWA. As a result, a number of Korean companies started entering the market recently. 
KWP was appointed as a truster of the government’s innovation-type water company support and is carrying out the support for 10 water companies in 10 year period until 2029 in areas of technology development, accreditation, application and overseas expansion. 
September 22, KWP managed the 2020 World Water Cluster Leaders Forum at EXCO Daegu in accordance with COVID-19 quarantine regulations with limited number to 50. 
The attendees exchanged and discussed on water cluster projects, programs, cooperation and business. Hosting the event, Daegu Metropolitan City mayor Kwon Young-jin said “Supplying clean water safely is the ultimate goal of the water clusters of the world. I hope the 2020 World Water Cluster Leaders Forum will be a turning point to increase level of exchanges and cooperation.”
Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae said “The South Korean government will make sure that water companies with excellent ideas can realize their dream. I hope the forum in Daegu will play the stimulator for world water clusters to work gather and grow together.”
The forum was broadcast in real time on Youtube. Israel’s state owned water company PR manager presented on innovation and Kyungpook National University professor Chu Gwang-ho presented on national water cluster and technology innovation hub on the day. A number of renowned figures in the industry also joined as panels and they were US Water Environment Federation CTO Barry Rainer, US Cleveland Water Alliance chairman Bryan Stubbs, and Singapore PUB executive director Ryan Wen. 
Also notable were Chungnam National University professor Choi Young-gyun, Korea University professor Kim Sung-pyo, Yeungnam University professor Jung Jin-young and Samjin Precision chairman Jung Tae-hee.
Korea Water Partnership president Yoon Ju-hwan said “South Korea might be the only country in the world that has built national water infrastructure within 30 years. We will share this valuable knowledge and experience with the world water clusters.”