Korea-Central Asia Deal-Making: Turkmenistan’s business ties with South Korea moved from talks to structure as the first “Central Asia – Republic of Korea” summit in Seoul produced a 30-year agenda and plans for heads-of-state meetings every two years, with critical minerals, energy, supply chains, AI and connectivity at the core. Project Pipeline (Water & Infrastructure): Daewoo E&C is pushing government-level cooperation into work on the Karakum Canal, signing an MoU with Turkmenistan’s State Committee for Water Management to modernize a key 250-km section and potentially expand water and environmental projects. Trade Facilitation for Firms: Turkmen entrepreneurs get a practical boost from TIF 2026 in Ashgabat (Oct 1–2), where delegates can pre-schedule meetings via an attendee app and hub—aimed at turning long-distance networking into booked negotiations. Startup Spotlight: A Turkmen founder’s e-commerce platform for traditional clothing, Bezen, grew to 50,000 monthly active users, showing how local demand is getting digitized. Digital & AI Capacity: A C5+1 seminar in Ashgabat focused on trusted AI, digitalization, cybersecurity and financing, signaling a push to modernize Turkmenistan’s tech and data infrastructure. Migration Pressure: Coverage also flags a rise in women leaving Turkmenistan for study-and-work routes abroad, using student and short-term visas to enter foreign labor markets.