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WATER COOPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND POVERTY ERADICATIONWater cooperation in KoreaBoosik Kang, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Dankook University and Korea Water Resources AssociationWater cooperation requires a series of international andlocal actors to work together to secure better waterservices. Korea’s practices on water cooperationinclude its involvement in international water events, such ashosting the 7th World Water Forum in 2015, and an increase ofits official development assistance (ODA) in the water sector. Thelaunch of the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project (Four RiversProject) in 2009-2012 illustrates Korea’s technical and strategicvision on how to overcome water challenges in the face of climatechange, and its commitment to aiding developing countries basedon its experience of the project. Korea is committed to multistakeholdercooperation for water decision-making.The Environmental Outlook to 2050 published by the Organisationfor Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) evaluated theRepublic of Korea as the highest water-stressed country among the 34OECD members. Korea abstracted more than 40 per cent of its totalaverage renewable water yield in 2009, putting its water balance atrisk. The country receives 60-70 per cent of its total annual precipitationin the flood season from June to September, while severe droughtsfrequently occur in spring and winter. These phenomena requiresophisticated and careful water resources management systems.Confronted with such challenges, the Korean Government has continuedto undertake technology development and investment in orderto provide a high level of water services and secure water resourcesthrough structural and non-structural methods. TheGovernment has also striven to foster water industriesand support developing countries through ODA projects.Korea’s engagement in water cooperation at the internationallevel has a rather short history, but has accelerated inrecent years. One of the most significant achievements isKorea’s successful bid to host the 7th World Water Forum,which will be held in Daegu-Gyeongbuk in 2015. More than30,000 people from over 200 countries are expected to attendthe event. The five institutions of Korea – the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure and Transportation, K-water, the KoreaWater Forum, the Korea Water Resources Association(KWRA) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) –were elected to the Board of Governors of the World WaterCouncil (WWC) at the meeting of the United NationsGeneral Assembly in Marseilles, France in 2012. The boardconsists of 36 members and advises the council’s overallstrategy and work scope. The Republic of Korea is nowhome to the largest number of WWC governors.Another example can be found in Korea’s effort tosupport the establishment of water and environmentrelatedinternational institutions within the country.Examples include the Green Climate Fund of theUnited Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange; GGGI; the United Nations InternationalImages: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and TransportMultipurpose weirs in Korea’s four major rivers, clockwise from top left: Yeoju Weir, Han River; Chilgok Weir, Nakdong River;Seungchon Weir, Youngsan River; and Buyeo Weir, Geum River[ 203 ]