South Korean Ambassador Park Young-sik, posted in Dhaka, has expressed hope that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Bangladesh and South Korea will be finalized soon. He expressed hope that the agreement will be completed before Bangladesh’s transition from LDC.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Geopolitical Challenges and Korea–Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership in the Era of US Tariffs” organized by the Korean Embassy and the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) at a hotel in the capital on Sunday (November 9, 2025), he said, “If the CEPA agreement is signed, trade and investment between the two countries will increase greatly. I hope that it will be possible to finalize CEPA before Bangladesh’s transition from LDC very soon.”
The ambassador also mentioned that in the last fifty years, Bangladesh’s export sector—especially in the garment industry—cooperation between the two countries has played an important role in bilateral relations. “CEPA will serve as a new engine for our partnership for the next 50 years,” he said.
BEI President and Ambassador M. Humayun Kabir said that cooperation between Bangladesh and South Korea can be further expanded—through capacity building, technology transfer, digital economy, energy security and increased investment. “Signing a PTA, FTA or CEPA as soon as possible will strengthen the bilateral relationship,” he said.
He also suggested that since both countries are located in a geopolitically challenging region, exchanging experiences through the Force and Security Dialogue could be beneficial.
Former diplomat Faruk Sabhan, economist Selim Raihan and Mustafizur Rahman delivered keynote speeches at the seminar on the prospects and regional challenges of Bangladesh-Korea economic partnership.
