Professor Kyung-Woong Kim from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Director of the International Environment Research Center (IERC), at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), installed and opened a large-sized water-purifying facility with support from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. Approximately 60 t of drinking water can be generated from one full container of the water-purifying facility, with the potential to serve about 200 people a day.

According to Professor Kim, the residents of Siam in Cambodia have long suffered food poisoning and stomachaches due to contaminated water. He initiated this environmental improvement project in Cambodia after he took up his post as the Director of IERC, which is operated with UN financial resources. He chose Siam because it is a tourist city with problems obtaining safe drinking water due to water contamination.

Professor Kim also initiated and led the establishment of the Environmental Sanitary Department at AIU University, which is scheduled to open next year. He is planning to take equipment and facilities that have recently been replaced at the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at GIST, to AIU University.

Professor Kim also has a plan to commercially produce and sell bottled water to generate a budget for AIU operations. There are currently 1,200,000 tourists including 200,000 Koreans visiting Angkor Wat relics every year, and they purchase French bottled water at local shops. Based on name value, Professor Kim expects the bottled water made by GIST and Doosan Heavy Industries will provide credibility to tourists, leading to large-scale purchases.

<Reported At>
Chosun Ilbo (Daily News), Joongang Ilbo (Daily News), Donga Ilbo (Daily News), Money Today, Hankuk Ilbo (Daily News), EBN, Segye Ilbo (Daily News), Fox Net, Maeil Economy, ETNews, Newsis, YTN, Hankook Economy, MOST News, Junnam Ilbo (Daily News), Mudeung Ilbo (Daily News), Korea Times (Daily News)

The *Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented graduate school established by the Ministry of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea in 1993.
*The university’s identity was changed from K-JIST to GIST in 2004

-November 9, 2006-