K-water achieved the highest rating (AA) for the fourth consecutive year in the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) comprehensive assessment conducted by Sustinvest, the largest ESG evaluation institution in Korea, including unlisted companies for the second half of 2025.
This evaluation was conducted on a relative basis targeting 1,299 companies, reviewing performance across the E, S, and G areas and assigning one of seven grades (AA-A-BB-B-C-D-E). K-water received a final grade of AA, ranking first for three consecutive years in the utilities sector that includes 30 companies engaged in SOC (social overhead capital) fields such as electricity, power generation, and water supply.
K-water recorded outstanding performance, scoring more than 150% of the average points in the utilities sector across all areas of environment, society, and governance. These results reflect the recognition of AI-driven transformation efforts across the entire water supply process—including the world’s first designation in the water sector as a World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Lighthouse and acquisition of OECD global quality certification for AI water treatment plants—and contribution to national development and improved quality of life centered on “Safety, Energy, and AI” including the establishment of rapid safety inspection teams to strengthen the frequent on-site safety inspection system.

K-water signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on January 13 at Chungnam National University in Daejeon with Chungnam National University and Japan’s Shinshu University to promote technological advancement and talent development in the water sector. The agreement was established to launch international joint research and talent exchanges in areas such as advanced water treatment and water-energy convergence to respond to the climate crisis.
Under the agreement, K-water will expand its ongoing region-based water industry technology cooperation with Chungnam National University to global research collaboration. In addition, based on nearly 60 years' accumulated experience and data in water infrastructure operations, it will serve as a “practical bridge” linking Chungnam National University’s research infrastructure with Shinshu University’s materials technology.
Areas of cooperation include water resources management and water purification and treatment, hydropower generation and water-energy-environment convergence, climate change response and water disaster prevention and mitigation, and next-generation talent development and real-world application.

K-water held a high-level meeting with a delegation from the Republic of South Sudan at its headquarters in Daejeon on January 21 and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Sudan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology on knowledge exchange and cooperation to strengthen water management capacity.
This meeting was made possible with the cooperation of the Lee Tae-seok Foundation, which has maintained ongoing exchanges with South Sudan. The exchanges with the African country have been well-known through the documentary film Don’t Cry for Me, Sudan. Through the agreement, both sides decided to share water resource management technologies and infrastructure operation experience and cooperate to strengthen South Sudan’s water management foundation.
Areas of cooperation include strengthening water management institutions and human capacity, supporting policy and strategy development to improve water services, and water-related social contribution activities with focus on the phased enhancement of water management capacity tailored to South Sudan’s conditions.

K-water signed an MOU on “Local Performance Evaluation of Domestic Granular Activated Carbon Regeneration Technology” at the HRSD SWIFT Research Center in Virginia, USA on January 6.
This agreement is a tripartite MOU involving K-water, HRSD (Hampton Roads Sanitation District)—a public wastewater utility in Virginia, USA—and domestic water company Wintech Glovis Co., Ltd. Under the MOU, the parties will evaluate the applicability of domestic granular activated carbon regeneration technology in local US conditions. Through this agreement, K-water plans to enhance the overseas applicability of domestic regeneration technologies and use this to establish a foothold for the global expansion of Korea’s water industry.
The agreement includes the installation of a pilot plant for granular activated carbon regeneration facilities in the US, performance evaluation targeting effluent from wastewater treatment facilities, and technical cooperation and information exchange related to applicability reviews for the SWIFT project.

K-water joined with its subsidiaries K-water Operation Management Co., Ltd. and K-water Technology Co., Ltd. on January 12 to promote the activation of win-win payment systems for the establishment of fair trade practices and expansion of mutual growth. This collaboration was put in place to strengthen organic cooperation between the parent company and subsidiaries, improve payment environments for partner companies, and provide liquidity support jointly.
Win-win payment is a system that supports partner companies in receiving transaction payments stably in cash. Depositing funds separately at financial institutions for operation prevents risks such as delayed payments or insolvency of prime contractors and helps secure cash flow for partner companies. K-water has expanded its scale every year since introducing the system in 2020, with last year’s win-win payment operation amount reaching a total of KRW 56.6 billion. It plans to continue expanding the scale gradually in the future.