K-water officially launched the “Future Innovation Advisory Committee” on September 29, composed of 14 experts from the academe, industry, and civil society, and held its first meeting. In response to the era of intensifying state-level competition, the committee aims to gather public and private expertise to identify innovation tasks and preoccupy new growth engines in water management, which has emerged as a global economic trend. It also targets strengthening Korea’s climate response capabilities through advanced water industry innovation.
Professor Seok Jae-wang of Konkuk University was elected chair by the committee members. The committee will propose strategies for water management innovation in the climate crisis era and advise on reflecting on-site perspectives in policy.
Planned initiatives include flood and drought prevention, expansion of AI-based smart water management, water-energy convergence projects, water quality and ecosystem restoration, blue-green algae reduction, and support for domestic water companies’ overseas expansion, seeking to produce tangible outcomes that the public can experience first-hand.

K-water hosted a Luxembourg economic delegation on October 21, showcasing AI and digital-based advanced water management technology and providing a platform for technology exchange and joint research. The delegation for this visit included about 20 members from Luxembourg’s Federation of Luxembourg Industries (FEDIL) consisting of executives from major companies in the digital, telecommunications, and media sectors, as well as government and academic officials. Ambassador of Luxembourg to Korea, Jaques Flies, also attended the meeting
The delegation visited K-water’s AI water treatment plants, digital twin-based integrated water management control center, and satellite data-based flood prediction models, experiencing AI water management in practice. Future joint research and collaboration were also discussed based on these technologies.

K-water CEO Seogdae Yun met Chris Lehane, Global Head of External Relations at OpenAI, on October 23 to discuss AI-based water management innovation.
At the meeting, K-water shared its "AI First Strategy" that it announced last June, emphasizing that it is transforming the entire process of water management from forecasting and response to operations with AI at its core, based on 60 years of accumulated big data. In addition, both sides exchanged in-depth views on the potential innovations that the convergence of AI technology and water management could bring.
Leveraging its accumulated expertise and data in water management, K-water proposed developing a specialized Large Language Model (LLM) for the water sector and collaborating on climate change prediction platforms for floods and droughts, as well as on a global AI-driven water treatment plant model. These initiatives will be advanced in phases through future working-level discussions.

K-water was named the top institution once again in the 2025 “Central-Level Emergency Rescue Support Capability Assessment.” The National Fire Agency annually evaluates central government agencies and public organizations in terms of personnel and physical resources management systems and response capabilities. In 2025, the assessment covered four areas: current status by disaster type, operational systems, best practices, and human resources.
K-water was highly recognized for its emergency support during forest and other fires, supplying dam water, and providing fee reductions in areas affected by heavy rainfalls or wildfires and sharing fire hydrant information through the national water supply information system. It was also acknowledged for its field-focused technical support including free water pipe cleaning, water quality monitoring, and the provision of safe drinking water technologies for residents in wildfire-affected areas.