'Korea and Bangladesh have developed strong ties of cooperation over the past five decades'

Ambassador Lee Jang-keun

Ambassador Lee Jang-keun of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) has a Masters degree in international relations from the State University of New York, USA and another Masters degree in international relations and national security from Yonsei University, Korea. During his career, he has served in Hungary, Morocco, the US, the permanent mission to the UN and in other key diplomatic positions before taking up the office of Korean ambassador to Bangladesh.

This year marks the 49th anniversary of Korea's recognition of Bangladesh. In an interview with Prothom Alo, Ambassador Lee Jang-keun talks about these historic ties, economic cooperation, bottlenecks, the way ahead, Bangladeshi expatriates in Korea and more. He also shares some rare historic photographs and documents of the relations between the two countries.

Q :

This year marks the 49th anniversary of Korea's recognition of Bangladesh. How do you assess the bilateral ties of Dhaka and Seoul during the period?

Before Korea and Bangladesh established diplomatic relations 48 years ago on 18 December 1973, Korea recognised the newly independent Bangladesh on 12 May 1972. Taking this opportunity, I would like to share with you a photo of the official letter by Korean Foreign Minister dated 12 May 1972 declaring Korea’s recognition of Bangladesh.

During the past five decades the two countries have developed and enjoyed strong ties and partnership in every aspect and every field of cooperation.

Bilateral trade steadily increased and reached one billion US dollars in 2008 when Korea started providing duty-free and quota-free access to most Bangladesh products. Korea has been a major source of FDI in Bangladesh becoming the fifth largest investor as of the end of 2020 with an FDI stock of 1.2 billion US dollars after US, UK, the Netherlands and Singapore, according to the Bangladesh Bank. Korea is the first and largest FDI investor in the RMG sector, playing a key role in the development of the country’s RMG industry.

In terms of ODA, Bangladesh is Korea’s priority partner country and the third largest recipient of ODA with a total volume of 790 million US dollars between 1987 and 2019. Infrastructure is another area where the two countries have developed close ties in recent years which has led to the launch of the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) platform between the two governments in 2019. People-to people and cultural exchanges also played an important role in the strengthening of our bilateral ties. Currently there are around 20,000 Bangladeshi people living in Korea, most of whom are expatriate workers and their families. Also among them are about 1,500 Bangladeshi students pursuing higher education in Korean universities. The remittance from the expatriate workers is over 1 billion US dollars, making Korea the 12th largest origin of remittances.

The continued robust economic growth of the two countries in the past decades has provided fertile ground for the strengthening of bilateral relations. However, the level of cooperation between our two countries is still below its potential. Bilateral trade volume remains at a level similar to that of 10 years ago. There is enormous potential still untapped and it is my goal and responsibility to take the current relationship to a higher level. I am working closely with my counterparts in the Bangladesh government to this end, especially towards our diplomatic golden jubilee in two years.

A photograph of Bangabandhu and Ambassador Rho Shin-young (with residence in New Delhi) (no record of the exact date of the photo, but believed to be from some time in 1973)

Q :

The Korean authorities have suspended the entry of Bangladeshi workers under the EPS since last month. Though the Covid-19 scenario of India was worse, Indian citizens were allowed. The same thing happened to Bangladesh last year. People asked whether Korea was a bit harsh towards Bangladesh. When are you going to withdraw the restrictions on Bangladeshi workers entering Korea?

First of all, I would like to make it clear that Korea has never blocked Bangladeshi nationals from entering the country. We only suspended issuing new visas temporally after a number of Bangladeshi people arrived in Korea testing positive in June last year. At that time many Bangladeshis got stranded here not because of visa problems but because of the suspension of international commercial flights to and from Bangladesh due to the Bangladesh government’s protective measures. But many were able to go back to Korea taking irregular chartered flights by Korean operators until June. Even after the imposition of visa suspension, those with valid visas including EPS workers could go back to their workplaces.

Even during the visa suspension, a number of Bangladeshi nationals arriving in Korea tested positive despite the COVID-19 negative certificates they presented. The suspension was lifted in February thanks to the joint efforts by both our governments and also to no positive corona cases found among Bangladeshi arrivals for several weeks.

EPS workers who already have visas do not have any problem entering and exiting Korea. But for new EPS workers, dispatch is delayed due to concerns over the possibility of further spread of the virus during the process of group trainings for a large number of people after the first entry, health check-ups, and moving to the workplace. It needs to be noted that during the two months before the visa suspension was imposed again in April, some Bangladeshi EPS workers who arrived in Korea were found COVID-19 positive against their negative certificates and their voluntary observation of seven days’ self-quarantine in Bangladesh before travel.

We are now trying to develop a new work process for the safety of workers and employers, and are striving to send EPS workers to their workplaces in close consultation with the Bangladesh authorities concerned. The Bangladeshi government is also making efforts to create a safe environment for dispatch and to resume the process soon.

The current temporary suspension of issuing new visas can be lifted again once we find no COVID-19 positive cases among Bangladesh arrivals in Korea for at least four weeks and the COVID-19 situation in the country improves.

Due to the recent surge of COVID-19 in many parts of the world and the difficulties in securing and getting vaccines, we are going through a very challenging time. I do wish that we all could go back to the pre-COVID-19 situation sooner.

Korean foreign ministry's cable to its mission in New Delhi in May 1972 drafted by Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary General and the then desk officer at MOFA, notifying the government's decision to officially recognise the newly independent Bangladesh

Q :

In recent years, the number of visitors from Bangladesh to Korea grew steadily. Are the two countries planning to have regular direct passenger flights between Seoul and Dhaka to increase people-to-people exchange between two countries?

As you rightly said, the number of Bangladeshis visiting Korea has steadily increased in recent years, especially before the pandemic hit the world. According to our statistics, Bangladeshis living in Korea in 2016 was 15,482 and the number jumped to 18,340 in 2019, which is about 20% increase in three years. Even though the corona pandemic stopped personal exchanges between our two countries, this previous upward trend will soon pick up steam once the situation is normalised. Even during the pandemic, there was no significant decrease in the number of Bangladeshis in Korea. As of June 2020, it was 18,106.

There is interest from both sides to establish regular direct passenger flights between Seoul and Dhaka. Our assessment at present is that there is not enough demand to operate a commercially viable regular flight. However, the corona pandemic has provided a good testing ground for Korean commercial airlines to verify commercial viability by operating irregular chartered flights to carry Korean nationals to and from Bangladesh. There have been more than a dozen such irregular flights between Seoul and Dhaka since April last year.

I believe that once the pandemic situation improves in the near future, the aviation authorities of Korea and Bangladesh might be interested in starting a meaningful dialogue toestablish a direct commercial flight route between Seoul and Dhaka. If a direct flight materialises, it will obviously lead to a significant increase of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Q :

Human resource development is one of the key areas where Korea can support Bangladesh. Is Korea considering providing Bangladesh assistance for human resource development both for skill development as well as entrepreneurship?

Human resource development has been one of the key areas of Korea’s support to Bangladesh. In particular, through KOICA’s assistance projects, Korea has provided a number of human resource development projects in Bangladesh, most notably the three vocational training centers in Dhaka, Chattogram and Rajshahi which would help the country meet the growing demand for skilled workforce both at home and abroad.

The National Institute of Advanced Nursing Education and Research (NIANER) is another landmark human resource development assistance by Korea in the health sector. It is Bangladesh’s first-ever postgraduate nursing education institution established through a KOICA project in 2013.

ICT is another area where Korea has been making strenuous efforts in recent years with focus on human resource development. In addition to the EDCF (Economic Development Cooperation Fund) assistance of establishing and operating ICT education and training center in Dhaka since 2012, KOICA has installed 100 IT labs in secondary schools in Dhaka to help strengthen ICT capacity for computer teachers and to provide learning opportunities for students on basic computer literacy and ICT education.

In collaboration with Dhaka University, this year Korea also launched a project to establish an education and training center with a view to promote creative youth entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Also, we have launched a startup cooperation program with Bangladesh ICT Division recently to cultivate entrepreneurship and foster innovative startups among the Bangladesh youth. According to an MOU signed between Bangladesh ICT Division, Korea Productivity Center and Korea Invention Promotion Association in November 2019, 10 young Bangladesh startups with innovative ideas were selected in competition and were invited to Korea from March this year for six months. They will work with Korean experts and mentors for the commercialisation of their ideas.

Letter from the Korean foreign minister to his counterpart in Bangladesh dated 12 May 1972 notifying Korea's recognition of Bangladesh

Q :

Korea is one of the leading foreign investing countries in Bangladesh, with around 150 companies operating here. Among the Korean companies most of the focus is on readymade garments. What are the other areas in Bangladesh that Korean companies are interested to invest in? How do Korean companies view the business climate of Bangladesh?

Since the early 1980s, Korea has been the leading investor in the RMG sector of Bangladesh. As I mentioned, Korea’s cumulative investment in Bangladesh amounts to 1.2 billion US dollars and it ranks 5th among other investors. Around 80 per cent of Korean investment is in the manufacturing sector, most of which belongs to RMG.

In contrast with the previous decades when Korea’s FDI to Bangladesh focused primarily on the export industry, we are starting to see more companies taking interest in tapping Bangladesh’s fast-growing domestic market. Slowly but steadily, more and more Korean companies are entering promising areas including electronics, automobiles, and ICT. Industry giants like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motors have recently partnered with local companies to set up assembly plants for mobile phones, home appliances, and automobiles. In addition, world-class Korean engineering and construction companies are increasingly taking up large-scale infrastructure projects in Bangladesh such as power plants, airport terminals, and hospitals.

Another important thing that is not well known to the Bangladeshi people is that Samsung Electronics is operating Samsung R&D Institute Bangladesh (SRBD), a research and development institute, in Dhaka since 2010. It is the first R&D hub of a multinational company in Bangladesh employing around 500 Bangladeshi software developers and experts. They are developing mobile applications and various mobile platforms, contributing to Samsung’s global ICT business.

For Korean companies, Bangladesh continues to be an attractive investment destination as we expect to see strong economic growth and consistent improvement of the living standards. I believe that Korean companies will find more opportunities here in the coming future as the government of Bangladesh makes strenuous efforts to improve the business environment by working on structural reforms and streamlining business procedures. In order for Bangladesh to attract more Korean investors, I believe that the government should start from listening to the Korean companies already present in Bangladesh and help them succeed in their businesses by removing existing hurdles. One thing I would like to touch upon in this regard is about the COVID-19 vaccination of businessmen and foreign investors. It was regrettable that the majority of Koreans living in Bangladesh has been excluded from the country’s vaccination campaign. Now it is the biggest concern for the Korean community in Bangladesh to get the vaccination based on the same criteria with the local people, just as many countries including Korea are doing.

Q :

Bangladesh is interested to be a party of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). How does Korea assist Bangladesh to become the member of this economic platform?

In November last year, Korea joined the RCEP, a mega FTA among 15 Asia-Pacific countries. RCEP is expected to help expand intra-regional trade and investment, strengthen economic cooperation and accelerate regional integration, and also provide more opportunities for Korean companies.

Now that Bangladesh is set to graduate from the LDC group in 2026, there is a lot of talk going on about the need to engage in negotiations with trade partners. I think Bangladesh is on the right track by concluding its first ever PTA with Bhutan last year and working to hammer out more bilateral trade deals with neighboring trade partners.

As a firm believer in trade liberalisation, Korea is supportive of Bangladesh’s efforts to become more economically integrated with the region, remove tariff and non-tariff barriers, and comply with common standards. Not only is the Korean government prepared to work with Bangladesh to expand the bilateral trade volume, but it is also ready to share its experiences from its active participation in bilateral and multilateral trade blocs.Having concluded FTAs with 56 countries covering 77 percent of the world’s GDP, Korea can also be a reference for Bangladesh’s endeavor to achieve Vision 2041.

Q :

To tackle Covid-19, Korea provided medical equipment including testing kits and Korea's finance ministry and Korea Eximbank are jointly reviewing a proposal to provide concessional loan to support the economic stimulus package rolled out by the government of Bangladesh. What is the latest update on concessional loan? Does Korea have any plan to support Bangladesh in the post Covid scenario?

Upon the request of the Bangladeshi government, the Korean government decided in December 2020 to provide 50 million US dollars as soft loan from its Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to Bangladesh to help financially support the urgent needs incurred by the pandemic. The loan agreement was signed on 21 December 2020 and the loan was quickly disbursed to the Bangladesh government by the end of 2020. With an interest rate of 0.01% and maturity period of 40 years including 15 years of grace period, the loan aims to provide budget support for the Government of Bangladesh to build systematic policy measures to combat the COVID-19 crisis.

In addition, the Government of the Republic of Korea provided 95,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits to the Bangladesh Government as part of its humanitarian assistance efforts. Worth 800,000 US dollars, the consignment of antigen test kits from SD BIOSENSOR, a leading test kit manufacturer in Korea, was officially received by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on 4 March 2021. The test kits were since distributed and deployed by DGHS to several test centers across the country including Army Central Medical Hospital, Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, and Dhaka Medical College.

Through KOICA, Korea also provided 1,800 packs of emergency food, 3,000 personal protective equipment (PPEs), and medical supplies to the vulnerable communities as well as the frontline nurses in July last year. Furthermore, walk-through COVID-19 sample collection booths worth 1.3 million US dollars were donated from Korea.

Korea will continue to stand by and support Bangladesh throughout the fight against COVID-19.

Q :

In recent times particularly after the outbreak of Covid-19, geo-political rivalry is growing over the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). What is Korea's position on this issue? Will the issues of free and open Indo-Pacific create tension between the South and the North?

Korea’s New Southern Policy, aimed at elevating political, economic, and cultural ties with Southeast and South Asian countries, maintains openness, transparency, inclusiveness, and respect for international norms as key components of its strategy. Korea is open to cooperation with other regional strategies/initiatives as long as they share these principles.

In order to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, Korea continues to seek and explore concrete cooperation projects and ways to create synergies with various regional initiatives by the US, China, Australia, Japan, India, and others. In particular, Korea is interested in fostering harmonious cooperation with partners and promoting mutual interests in areas such as health, infrastructure, smart city, and other emerging industries.

Q :

Korea is going to host P4G Seoul Summit between May 30 and 30 when the international community is going to take action for implementing Paris Agreement. How does Korea plan to help Bangladesh as partner in achieving five goals starting from food and agriculture to circular economy?

For those readers who are not familiar with P4G, it is short for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, and it is a global platform comprised of 12 countries including Korea and Bangladesh, 6 organisational partners, and more than 240 corporate and civil society partners aimed at delivering inclusive and transformative solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

P4G’s objective is to accelerate solutions on five sectors including food, water, energy, cities, and circular economy, which are closely interlinked to the SDGs. The uniqueness of P4G lies in its inclusiveness encompassing both private and public sector stakeholders and the focus on commercially-viable solutions.

The 2021 P4G Seoul Summit on May 30-31 will be the first multilateral Summit on environment to be hosted by Korea. The event will serve as a stepping stone for several important climate and environment related summits this year including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. It will further unite our global resolve for carbon neutrality and strengthen climate action to build back better and greener in the post-COVID world.

As a leading advocate of climate action, Bangladesh has been vocal in urging the international community to act promptly to the imminent threat caused by climate change. Bangladesh also holds the chairmanship of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and has recently hosted the regional office of Global Center on Adaptation. Korea looks forward to Bangladesh’s active participation in the P4G Seoul Summit in order to keep up the international community’s efforts to tackle this urgent issue.