Five companies, including Nongshim and Jeju Development Corp., join bottled water certification pilot

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy announced Monday that it has selected five companies — Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, Nongshim, Daejung, Baekak Beverage and Hwain Biotech — to take part in a pilot program for a bottled water quality and safety certification regime.

The ministry said it launched the project in response to the domestic bottled water consumption rate rising to 34.8 percent, citing the need to manage the entire bottled water supply chain, from manufacturing to retail.

The pilot will kick off Tuesday with an information session at the IF Plaza Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, followed by on-site inspections, product testing and comprehensive evaluations. During the on-site inspection phase, geologists will be consulted to assess the stability of source water quantity and quality. The ministry said it will minimize paperwork at the application stage and run the pilot with a focus on field inspections.

"We will comprehensively review the improvements and issues identified through this pilot, hold consultations with companies and experts, and carefully prepare for the introduction of a bottled water certification system grounded in preventive safety management and suited to domestic conditions," said Kim Ho-eun, the ministry's water use policy director.