On November 3, Second Vice Minister of Finance and Economy Huh Chang met with Bangladesh Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in Seoul. Minister Chowdhury visited Korea as a special envoy of Bangladesh Prime Minister Nahman, following the inauguration of the new Bangladeshi government in February this year, to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Both sides acknowledged the significant potential for cooperation between Korea, with its advanced technologies and industrial development experience, and Bangladesh, with its large consumer market and strategic position as a hub in South Asia. They shared the view that the Korea-Bangladesh Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was agreed upon in principle in August, would provide an opportunity to substantially expand bilateral economic cooperation.
Second Vice Minister Huh first expressed his appreciation to Minister Chowdhury for his contributions to bilateral relations during his 17 years of service as Korea’s Honorary Consul in Chattogram (Chittagong) from 1990 to 2007. He also expressed hope that Minister Chowdhury would continue to serve as a bridge for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries. In particular, he highlighted Bangladesh’s considerable growth potential as a market with a population of 170 million, noting the rapid increase in bilateral trade, which reached approximately USD 2.4 billion in 2025 and USD 1.7 billion in the first half of 2026.
Vice Minister Huh stated that the Korea-Bangladesh CEPA would serve as an important milestone in taking bilateral economic cooperation to a new level and called for timely follow-up measures to ensure its early entry into force. Building on the CEPA, he proposed diversifying the range of goods traded between the two countries and broadening the scope of cooperation to include infrastructure, defense and high-tech industries.
In addition, he emphasized the need to foster a more business-friendly environment by improving customs clearance and visa renewal procedures and addressing regulatory issues, so that Korean companies operating in Bangladesh can conduct their business smoothly and without disruption. He called on the Bangladeshi government to pay particular attention to these matters.
In response, Minister Chowdhury described Korea as Bangladesh’s top-priority partner for economic development and industrial advancement. He expressed hope that the two countries would build a mutually beneficial partnership through broad-based economic cooperation in areas including trade, investment, finance and industry. He also emphasized his government’s commitment to actively supporting more Korean companies in doing business in Bangladesh and facilitating greater Korean investment by addressing business-related difficulties.
Both sides agreed to actively identify mutually beneficial cooperation projects through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), the Economic Innovation Partnership Program (EIPP) and other initiatives. These efforts will focus on future-oriented areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital technology, supply chains and green sectors, with the aim of meeting Bangladesh’s development needs while creating opportunities for Korean companies to participate.
Please refer to the attached files.
