Seoul, 20 October 2026 – Three tech startups from the Philippines including Rezbin, Haraya and Agap.ai participated in the ASEAN-Korea Startup Week 2026, a four-day event organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) in cooperation with the Metropolitan cities of Seoul and Daegu. The PH startups showcased their products featuring AI-powered smart recycling bins, nano-bio and hydrogel fertilizer and AI-powered early childhood development and care platform. 

On 20 October 2026, Ambassador Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez attended the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-Korea Startup Week 2026 held at OnDream Society in Myeongdong and delivered a congratulatory remarks before officials of the AKC, Ambassadors and representatives of ASEAN Embassies in Seoul, participating startups and Korean enterprises.  

“You will agree with me that the event was a great opportunity for business information exchange and allowed potential partners from Korea to consider doing business outside Korea with ASEAN partners. I am confident that this year’s startup week will address the objectives of the event which include business acceleration, matching and pitching sessions. For many powerful economies around the world, the backbone of the economy will be MSME’s,” the Ambassador said.

In his welcome remarks, AKC Secretary General Ambassador Kim Jaeshin mentioned the highly successful small and medium enterprises in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and how this has consistently sustained the growth and development of the country. He also assured the participants that AKC will continue to support capacity building and business acceleration in ASEAN through its partnership with ROK.     

As home to globally competitive startups, ROK is a good benchmark and the Korean experience of academicians and Korean and foreign owners of startups will provide valuable insights to participants. A total of 28 startup companies from ASEAN member countries were chosen by AKC to promote their products and services at the startup program this year. The participants will also experience the Future Innovation tech eXpo (FIX) 2026, organized by the local government of Daegu and led by former Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sanghwa, who was appointed as Vice Mayor of Daegu for International Affairs. END