Surrounding the Nakdong River's basin lie the South Korean cities of Ulsan, Pusan, and Taegu, home to many large industrial complexes and the source of one of the country's most serious water polluters: the Taegu dyeing industry, which generates approximately 600 tons of sludge each day from 112 textile plants. This and other freshwater pollution problems prompted the new South Korean government to emphasize the importance of water and wastewater treatment in its environmental policy, and the multibillion-dollar Nakdong River Clean-up Project--one of four major river clean-up projects in Korea--is a prime example of the country's commitment. The project provides great opportunities for suppliers of water and wastewater treatment technologies, and US-AEP/Korea has been active in promoting them to U.S. firms. For example, Tech Rep counseling and advocacy over the last two years recently resulted in a contract between U.S. firm Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company of Stanley, North Carolina, and the Korea Dyeing Technology Center (DYETEC) for a pilot dye wastewater treatment system worth $91,680. Although the dollar amount is not large, the purchase is extremely significant, since acceptance of Gaston's technology will have great influence on the wastewater treatment market in Korea and likely lead to future U.S. sales.

Like most U.S.-Asia business relationships, the ties between Gaston and Korean buyers evolved over time. Gaston's Vice President Christoph Aurich delivered the keynote presentation at a seminar with the Taegu Machinery Association last year, and since February 1996, the U.S. company has maintained strong relations with the region's manufacturers. Tech Rep Chi-Sun Lee enhanced the firms's opportunities for future business in the region by emphasizing Gaston's superior performance and cost-saving potential to officials of Korea's Federal Commission for the Protection of the Quality and Supply of Freshwater Resources, a group newly organized by Korea's prime minister to lead the country's river clean-up projects. In addition, Mr. Lee introduced Gaston officials to Dong Ah Construction and Engineering Company--manager of one of the world's largest landfill sites--and is actively following up on project development.

US-AEP/Korea is also involving other U.S. companies in the Nakdong River clean-up. For example, Tech Rep Lee has organized a three-city seminar tour for the leading U.S. environmental consulting companies operating in the Korean market: CH2MHill, CDM, and Black and Veatch. The firms will participate as a consortium rather than as competitors, showcasing U.S. environmental technology for government and industry representatives in Ulsan, Pusan, and Taegu cities. The seminar tour will commence in mid-April and is expected to attract a large number of attendees.

On January 30, US-AEP Tech Rep Sundaresan Subramanian inaugurated a compost yard in Chennai, India, in the presence of officials from the U.S. consulate, local government, and other agencies. As the guest list suggests, this is not your average compost heap. The facility is the centerpiece of a plan conceived by Subramanian and local nongovernmental organization (NGO) EXNORA to manage solid waste at Asia's largest fruit and vegetable market, Koyambedu. Koyambedu's waste problem is prodigious and long-standing. The 300-acre market produces 80 to 100 tons of organic waste each day, only a portion of which is collected by municipal authorities. Following a centuries-old tradition, the remaining waste is left to rot in public areas. However, with the participation of numerous vendors, citizens, and government authorities, this waste problem may ultimately become an asset. EXNORA is relocating waste to the compost yard, where it is exposed to various composting methods--aerobic, anaerobic, and vermiculture--to convert it into bio-manure. The resulting organic fertilizer is used by local farmers to raise organic produce, which is then sold at Koyambedu.