River Management Fund for the Four Major River Systems introduces River Management Funds (RMFs) that Korean Government has implemented to improve the water quality of four major river system which provides many tangible and/ or intangible benefits to the society in Korea. To ensure more systematic efforts for improving water quality, the government proposed collecting water use charges which became the seed money for RMFs. Based upon the Uses-Pay Principle the RMFs were introduced to offset the losses in oppertunity cost associated with regulations against various economic activities in upstream regions.
The RMFs were intended to provide win-win solutions for both upstream and downstream regions to share burdens and costs required to maintain good water quality in a fair manner. The RMFs have been providing financial resources for a variety of projects intended to improve upstream water quality for midstream and downstream communities.