Minister of SMEs and Startups, Han Seong-sook, held a bilateral meeting with the Chairman of Enterprise Singapore on Mar. 2. During the meeting, Minister Han requested Singapore’s active participation in the “APEC Startup Alliance,” an initiative officially launched under Korea’s leadership at the 2025 APEC SME Ministerial Meeting last September. The two sides focused on utilizing this alliance as a key platform to solidify a bilateral startup cooperation network. Furthermore, both sides reached a consensus on the vital importance of fostering startups in alignment with AI initiatives. The Korean delegation introduced key AI startup support policies, such as the “OpenData X AI Challenge” and the “Deep-tech Challenge Project,” while exploring potential collaborative pathways with Singapore. Minister Han stated, “Singapore, as a global financial hub, is an ideal gateway and partner for our ventures and startups to leap onto the global stage.” She added, “We will further strengthen the venture and startup partnership between our two nations and provide robust support to ensure our startups can seamlessly expand into global markets.”