Xinhua world economic news summary at 0900 GMT, May 13

SEOUL — South Korea’s venture investment grew in single digits in the first quarter due to strong investment demand for future technologies, government data showed Monday.

New investment in startup companies and small businesses with long-term growth potential amounted to 1.9 trillion won (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-March period, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of SMEs