At the time of writing, I had recently returned from an extended trip that included some very interesting interactions that I wanted to share, along with what I think they mean. The first was a meeting with the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak. This occurred in March, and was a visit arranged by our Korean colleagues in conjunction with the upcoming September 2012 Biennial World Water Congress in Busan, Korea. Paul Reiter, our Korean colleagues, and I met with the President at his residence, the Blue House. Among other activities, the President accepted our offer to become the first of a new class of Honorary IWA Members (which resulted in significant local publicity for both the President and for IWA), and also to attend the opening ceremony of the Busan Congress. What impressed me most though was the fact that the President spent 45 minutes with us, and that he was obviously very knowledgeable about and interested in water. If you research President Lee, you will see that this is not a passing fancy, as he has a long history and current involvement advancing the cause of water in Korea. I have to say though that, meeting and talking with him, he is obviously at the 'top of his game' when it comes to water.
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