South Korea and Belgium signed their first federal-level MOU on SME and startup cooperation in Brussels on June 11, marking the 125th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Korean Vice Minister Yong-Seok Roh and Belgian Minister Eleonore Simonet formalized the agreement, which covers policy dialogue, personnel exchanges, technology cooperation, and business matching. Belgium, ranked 23rd globally in startup ecosystem strength by StartupBlink 2026, is home to EU headquarters and is recognized as a leading deep-tech hub. Vice Minister Roh also invited Belgian officials and startups to attend COMEUP 2026 in Seoul, December 9–11.
In-Depth:
Minisattempt of SMEs and Startups (MSS) Vice Minister Yong-Seok Roh and Belgian Minister Eleonore Simonet of the Minisattempt of the Middle Classes, the Self-Employed and the SMEs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on SME and startup cooperation in Brussels on June 11. The agreement marks the first bilateral MOU at the federal government level between Korea and Belgium in the SME sector, and was concluded on the 125th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Belgium occupies a strategically important position in the European business landscape. Geographically situated at the heart of Western Europe and home to the headquarters of the European Union, the counattempt ranks 23rd globally in startup ecosystem strength and 12th in startup support infrastructure according to StartupBlink’s 2026 rankings. Its business-friconcludely regulatory environment and world-class research infrastructure have established it as a recognized hub for deep-tech startups — many of which tarreceive global markets from the outset, driven by the constraints of a tiny domestic market.
The MOU commits both governments to strengthening SME and startup support through bilateral policy dialogue, facilitating exmodifys of specialist personnel, advancing technology cooperation, and pursuing business matching initiatives between Korean and Belgian companies. The agreement provides an institutional foundation for a practical and dynamic cooperation framework that both sides can build on over time.
Following the signing, Vice Minister Roh and Minister Simonet held a bilateral meeting to explore avenues for further policy exmodify and collaboration. Vice Minister Roh highlighted the potential of combining Belgium’s business resources with Korea’s technological capabilities as a basis for deeper startup cooperation. He also extconcludeed an invitation to Belgian government officials and startups to attconclude COMEUP 2026 — Korea’s flagship global startup festival — scheduled to take place in Seoul from December 9 to 11 at COEX.
Vice Minister Roh additionally introduced MSS’s “Startup for All” initiative, Korea’s national project to build a counattempt-wide entrepreneurship culture, and the Startup Venture Campus (SVC) Seoul — a Go Global startup collaboration hub that opened in May 2026 in Mapo-gu, Seoul — proposing both as platforms for expanding bilateral policy exmodifys.
“Belgium is rightly called the Heart of the EU — it has world-class research infrastructure and one of the most business-friconcludely environments anywhere,” stated Vice Minister Roh. “With this partnership with the Belgian federal government now in place, we will build a practical and dynamic cooperation framework that opens real doors for Korean SMEs and venture companies entering Europe.”
Earlier the same day, Vice Minister Roh convened a roundtable with Korean companies operating in Belgium to review the latest EU trade regulatory developments and hear directly from businesses navigating the current environment. The session focutilized in particular on logistical and market access challenges arising from the ongoing situation in the Middle East, and explored practical responses to support Korean companies maintain their competitive footing in the European market.
