On the first day, the hosts offered the Hungarian guests a symbolic yet important role at the grand opening of the national water industry exhibition: standing on stage among other guests, they had the honor of pressing the button to officially launch the expo.
The program continued with a working lunch, where Károly also took the floor and shared his thoughts on the value of water with the guests.
Throughout the expo, the delegation had productive meetings with several exhibitors who had been recommended by member companies. Through its member company, the Puraset Ltd., HWP has been already present in South Korea in the field of fluoride removal from industrial and drinking water. The Hungarian-manufactured regenerable adsorbent-based technology is particularly important in industries such as steel, aluminium, fertilizer, semiconductor, glass manufacturing, and coal-fired power plant operations, where fluoride contamination of water is significant. Building on the success of fluoride removal, a professional and fruitful dialogue has begun between South Korean and Hungarian stakeholders on boron contamination management.
During the gala dinner, Károly was invited by the host to give a speech, where he emphasized the importance of training the next generation of water industry professionals - a challenge that affects the sector globally, regardless of country.
On March 20, the Hungarian "water industry delegation" held discussions with Dr. Myung Soo Yoo, Vice President of KWWA, and Mr. Song Seung Jong, Secretary General of the organization. They also met with several key figures, including Dr. Seung Kwan Hong, President of Korea Water Partnership, Ms. Ji Hyang Kweon, President of Korean Society of Water & Wastewater, Dr. Yongdeok Cho, Director General of Korea Water Resources Corporation, Mr. Sungpyo Kim, President of Korean Society of Water Environment and Mr. Kyulho Kwak, President of Korea Water Forum.
They also met with Mr. Kálmán Pusztai and Ms. Boglárka Varga, trade attachés from the Hungarian Embassy in Seoul, who visited the expo and were introduced to the KWWA Secretary General.
The afternoon international forum kicked off with a major step forward: a tripartite cooperation agreement between HWP, MASZESZ, and KWWA was signed. The collaboration has already begun: KWWA is organizing a study trip to Hungary during June. Additionally, the Korean side accepted an invitation to participate in the Planet Budapest 2026 expo next February.
The forum continued with both local and international presentations. Károly gave a talk on "Water Infrastructure Development in Central Eastern Europe: Needs, Trends, and Principles", while
Zoltán presented on "Hungarian Water Partnership: Innovative, Sustainable, and Bankable Water Solutions Worldwide" and
at the end, the speakers answered questions from the audience.
One of HWP’s long-time partner organizations, the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA), also delivered a presentation. A key highlight for the Hungarian delegation was a side meeting with the chairman of VWSA, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Diep, where they discussed HWP’s planned workshop at the upcoming Vietnam Water Week in Hanoi this August.
Despite being a short trip, the South Korean visit was packed with meaningful engagements. HWP and MASZESZ proudly represented Hungary’s water industry at Water Korea 2025, sparking real interest in Hungarian solutions and innovations among international experts.
To be continued... in June!
