South Korea’s First Vice Minister for SMEs and Startups No Yong-seok met Saudi Communications and Information Technology Minister Al‑Swaha in Seoul on the 16th to discuss SME, venture and startup cooperation in AI and digital innovation. They reviewed Korea’s policy Fund-of-Funds experience and discussed a joint fund being prepared by Korea Venture Investment Corp (KVIC) and Riyadh Valley Company (RVC) to invest in AI, semiconductors and other deep‑tech SMEs and startups; Al‑Swaha said both side

European Union to provide an additional EUR20 mln in aid to Venezuela after earthquake.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said the "Good Housing Construction Guide (trial) (draft for comments)", first opened for public comment in March, has been revised and is again being publicly circulated. The revised guide narrows technical requirements to address residents' pain points, covering site structural safety, indoor healthy environments, energy-saving and carbon-reduction technologies, and smart communities and smart homes. It also specifies human-centered design elements such as age-friendly/all-age accessibility, separation of utility pipelines, and flexible interior layouts, and targets common residential defects including leaks, poor sound insulation, odor and blockages, and high energy consumption.