[123RF]
[123RF]

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they are hosting a "Korea-Turkmenistan Water Industry Cooperation Mission" from Tuesday to Thursday, with a government delegation from Turkmenistan invited to participate.

The event follows last year's Korea-Turkmenistan Water Industry Cooperation Mission, the first such initiative the government pursued through a public-private partnership model.

The two sides confirmed the potential for water sector cooperation through last year's mission and organized this invitation event to further develop and expand the practical foundation for bilateral collaboration.

The Turkmenistan government delegation spent two days beginning Tuesday visiting water management infrastructure across the greater Seoul area — including the Korea Water Resources Corporation's integrated operations center, an AI-equipped water purification plant in Hwaseong and the Gyeongin Ara Waterway — to examine South Korea's digital water management and operational systems.

The delegation also visited domestic companies with advanced technologies in canal inspection and water treatment, reviewing technology applications and discussing potential areas of cooperation.

On Thursday, the final day of the event, a multilateral forum on Korea-Central Asia water industry cooperation — bringing together government officials from five Central Asian countries — and a water industry cooperation seminar open to private companies will be held at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

At the forum, officials from South Korea and the five Central Asian countries will share their water management policies and key issues, and discuss ways to cooperate on sustainable water management and climate change response.

One-on-one business consultations between domestic water companies and Central Asian government agencies are also planned to explore future cooperation opportunities.

Kim Ho-eun, director general for water use policy at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, said the close cooperation built with Central Asian countries over the years "is now yielding tangible green export results, including equipment supply and facility construction by outstanding Korean water companies." He added that the ministry would "continue to take the lead in creating a stable foundation for our water companies to advance their projects overseas."


thlee@heraldcorp.com