Bangladesh, South Korea to boost trade, investment ties

Bangladesh and South Korea have agreed to form a joint public-private working group to boost trade and investment following the conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The decision was reached during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and South Korean Trade Minister Jung-sung Park in Seoul on Monday, according to a press release from the Economic Relations Division.
The working group will focus on identifying priority sectors, investment opportunities, policy reforms, and business facilitation measures, with an emphasis on strengthening public-private partnerships.  
Both sides agreed to expand economic cooperation beyond traditional textiles and ready-made garments into technology-driven industries, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure development.
Amir Khosru highlighted the strategic importance of the trade pact, noting that concluding CEPA negotiations paves the way for a deeper economic relationship. 
“We now have an opportunity to move beyond the traditional textile and garments-based partnership and build a broader, technology-driven economic relationship with Korea,” he said.
He identified electronics, semiconductors, shipbuilding, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, agro-processing and logistics as potential areas of cooperation.
The minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s efforts to improve its investment climate, including digitalising and automating capital repatriation, reducing customs duties on electronics raw materials from 26% to zero, and simplifying customs and port procedures.
He encouraged greater use of government-to-government (G2G) and PPP arrangements to accelerate investment in infrastructure, energy and other priority sectors.
South Korean Trade Minister Jung-sung Park reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening economic ties with Bangladesh.
He also raised concerns faced by Korean businesses operating in Bangladesh, particularly regarding the investment climate and future expansion.
The Korean side agreed to provide a consolidated list of these concerns for review and follow-up.
The Bangladesh delegation included Adviser to the Prime Minister on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Investment and Capital Market Affairs Tanvir Shahriar Ghani, ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky and senior officials from ERD and Invest Bangladesh.
Korean firms explore investment opportunities
During the visit, the delegation held separate meetings with three major South Korean companies – Hyundai Glovis, Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Electronics – to explore investment and technology transfer opportunities.
At Hyundai Glovis, discussions with President Lee Kyu-bok and senior executives focused on logistics, port development and the automotive sector.
The Bangladesh delegation highlighted opportunities in logistics hubs, ports, economic zones, automotive supply chains and smart logistics.
Hyundai Glovis expressed interest in exploring business opportunities in Bangladesh, with both sides agreeing to establish working-level teams to pursue potential projects.
At Hanwha Ocean, discussions centred on shipbuilding, ship repair, dry-docking, maritime infrastructure and floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) projects.
The company proposed a phased approach, beginning with ship repair, maintenance and retrofitting before expanding into higher-value shipbuilding and other maritime activities.
Both sides agreed to continue technical discussions and arrange follow-up visits to assess potential investments.
The delegation also met Samsung Electronics President Kim Woo-june and senior officials to discuss cooperation in electronics manufacturing, artificial intelligence, digital connectivity and workforce development.
Amir Khosru encouraged Samsung to expand its operations and introduce advanced technologies in Bangladesh.
Kim expressed interest in exploring further cooperation in the coming years.
The finance and planning minister said Bangladesh wanted to translate opportunities arising from the post-CEPA partnership into concrete economic outcomes.
He stressed that future cooperation should prioritise trade and investment growth, technology transfer, industrial diversification, quality employment and stronger integration into global value chains.