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K-water wins at MWC's 31st Glomo Awards for smart water tech

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 12:32 Updated: 05 Mar. 2026, 14:23

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

An official from the Korea Water Resources Corporation poses with the award trophy after the corporation was named a winner at the 31st Global Mobile Awards, held during Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, on March 4. [K-WATER]

The Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) was named a recipient of the 31st Global Mobile (Glomo) Awards, marking the first time a Korean public-sector institution has won the award.

K-water on Wednesday won Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action in the Tech4Good category for its Smart Water Network Management (SWNM) technology.

SWNM is powered by AI and the Internet of Things to monitor water supply networks in real time and optimize water distribution. The system uses digitalized water management data accumulated over the past two decades from 23 municipal water supply systems and 116 water pipeline maintenance projects nationwide. The corporation is currently in talks of locally adopting SWNM in the Philippines and Vietnam.

K-water was also shortlisted for Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations with the Digital Garam+, a digital-twin water-management platform, but did not win.

The Glomo Awards is one of the main award ceremonies held during Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, and is organized by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association.

Awards are presented in 30 categories that recognize organizations in the mobile and information technology industries worldwide. Past winners in Korea include Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom.

“This milestone recognizes our AI-based water management technology as a practical solution to major challenges facing humanity,” Yun Seog-dae, CEO of K-water, said in a press release. “We will continue to do our best in using our globally recognized AI capabilities to lead a new paradigm in the global water industry.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]