Photo: Collected
Bangladesh has called for further widening the scope of trade, investment and development cooperation with South Korea.
The information was given in a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
The release said that in separate meetings in Seoul with South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Trade Negotiations Hyejin Kwon and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Vice-President Do Young-ah, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir urged greater market access for Bangladeshi products and an increase in Korean investment in the country.
In the meeting with Kwon, the state minister called for specific steps to increase Korean imports of Bangladeshi goods and services and stressed gradually narrowing the bilateral trade gap.
He also requested the simplification of food safety inspection and quarantine procedures to ease the entry of Bangladeshi agricultural, fisheries and food products into the Korean market.
The state minister welcomed the successful conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Bangladesh and South Korea in August 2026. He expressed the hope that amid the process of graduation from least developed country (LDC) status, this agreement will help Bangladesh integrate more deeply with Korean and regional supply chains.
He also expressed optimism that the CEPA will be formally signed during the South Korean president’s proposed visit to Bangladesh after the necessary internal procedures are completed.
The state minister sought Korea’s support for Bangladesh’s inclusion in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and invited more Korean investment in the country.
He encouraged Korean conglomerates and small and medium enterprises to explore investment opportunities through joint investment promotion initiatives and government-to-government facilitation.
Praising Korea’s contribution to Bangladesh’s economic transformation and industrialisation, Humayun Kabir reiterated Dhaka’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Welcoming the progress in bilateral economic relations, Kwon conveyed Korea’s interest in expanding trade, investment and industrial cooperation, including under the CEPA framework.
In the meeting with KOICA Vice-President Do Young-ah, the state minister sought more cooperation from Korea in water security, climate resilience, skills development, employment-oriented technical education and the digital health sector.
He also praised KOICA’s long-standing role in Bangladesh’s socio-economic development through grant assistance, capacity building, technical cooperation and knowledge sharing.
Thanking KOICA for the $39 million ‘Saemaul Plus End Poverty Program’, the state minister expressed Bangladesh’s interest in advancing the next phase of cooperation towards larger, integrated and transformative programmes.
He highlighted digital transformation, artificial intelligence and digital public services as potential new areas of cooperation.
Humayun Kabir requested Korea’s swift consent to financing Dhaka’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) projects alongside the Asian Development Bank.
Welcoming Bangladesh’s interest in increasing development cooperation, Do Young-ah said they are ready to explore new areas and programmes in line with Bangladesh’s development priorities and Korea’s experience in development cooperation.
At the meetings, the commitment was reiterated to further strengthen the two countries’ long-standing partnership in trade, investment, industrial cooperation, technology transfer and development cooperation in mutual interest.
