The objective of this study is assessing water management efficiency using water withdrawals from rivers and water requirements for paddies. The water management efficiency was defined by the ratio of water requirements and water withdrawals. Water withdrawals were estimated using the operating times and pumping capacity of the pumping stations from 1992 to 1999 in the Han River and Nakdong River basins. Water requirements were estimated by adding the evapotranspiration of the crops and infiltrations in the irrigated area. Evapotranspiration from the paddies was calculated by the FAO modified Penman method with observed daily weather data. The monthly water management efficiency was analyzed for each pumping stations and the district offices of KARICO (Korea Agricultural and Rural Infrastructure Corporation). The efficiencies of 59 pumping stations in the Han River basin varied from 19% to 135%, and the average was 61%. The efficiencies of 146 pumping stations in the Nakdong River basin ranged from 17% to 190%, and the average was 72%. There were no good correlations between the water management efficiency and pump capacity or irrigated area, it showed that the water management efficiency was affected by the traditional water management practices rather than the scale of irrigation district.