Bangladesh seeks greater S Korean trade, investment cooperation

Bangladesh has sought greater cooperation from South Korea in trade, investment, industrial development, technology and development cooperation.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made the request during separate meetings with Hyejin Kwon, deputy minister for trade negotiation at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and senior leadership of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), led by its Vice-President Doh Young-Ah, in Seoul on Thursday.

During his meeting with Kwon, Kobir highlighted Bangladesh’s longstanding cooperation with South Korea and appreciated its role in the country’s economic transformation and industrial development.

He welcomed the successful conclusion of the Bangladesh-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in August 2026, expressing hope that it would help Bangladesh integrate more deeply into Korean and regional supply chains as the country transitions from least developed country (LDC) status.

He also expressed hope that the CEPA would be formally signed during a proposed visit by the South Korean president to Bangladesh, following completion of the necessary domestic procedures.

Highlighting growing bilateral trade, the state minister called for concrete measures to increase Korean imports of Bangladeshi goods and services and gradually reduce the trade imbalance.

He also requested the streamlining of food safety inspection and quarantine procedures for Bangladeshi agricultural, fishery and food products.

Kobir sought South Korea’s support for Bangladesh’s accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and invited greater Korean investment.

He encouraged Korean conglomerates and small and medium-sized enterprises to explore investment opportunities through joint investment promotion and government-to-government facilitation.

Kwon welcomed the progress in Bangladesh-South Korea economic relations and expressed Seoul’s interest in further expanding bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation, including through the CEPA framework.

At the meeting with KOICA Vice-President Doh Young-Ah, Kobir appreciated the agency’s longstanding contribution to Bangladesh’s socio-economic development through grants, capacity building, technical cooperation and knowledge sharing.

He thanked KOICA for its $39 million Saemaul Plus End Poverty Programme and sought further cooperation in water security and climate resilience, skills development, employment-oriented technical education and digital health.

The state minister also expressed Bangladesh’s interest in moving the next phase of KOICA-Bangladesh cooperation towards larger-scale and integrated programmes in areas including digital transformation, artificial intelligence and digital public services.

He requested early concurrence from the Korean side on financing for Dhaka’s mass rapid transit (MRT) projects alongside the Asian Development Bank.

The KOICA vice-president welcomed Bangladesh’s interest in expanding development cooperation and expressed readiness to explore new areas and programmes aligned with Bangladesh’s development priorities and South Korea’s development cooperation experience.

The meetings reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to deepening their partnership in trade, investment, industrial cooperation, technology transfer and development cooperation based on mutual benefit and shared priorities.