Kim Kuen-ho, chief executive of the Korea Water Resources Corp., will retain the office for another year, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday.

The ministry said it received approval from President Lee Myung-bak for its request that Kim be reappointed for an additional year. His three-year term expired Wednesday.

The decision reflects the ministry’s efforts to smoothly finish up the four rivers refurbishment project next year, in which the state-run water utility plays a vital role.

“Kim is cut out to wrap up the national project,” a ministry official said. “He earned an A grade in the evaluation of public institutions last year and an ‘excellence’ mark for his service at K-water as well.”

Initiated in 2009, the project aims at improving water security, flood control and ecosystem vitality on the country’s four major rivers ― Han River, Nakdong River, Geum River and Yeongsan River ― by restoring more than 900 kilometers of national streams and a multitude of wetlands.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)