Bangladesh is a ‘top priority’ partner of South Korea, its envoy in Dhaka said on Wednesday as the embassy celebrated establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 40 years ago.
Ambassador Lee Yun-young said Korean companies were one of the frontier investors in Bangladesh in the late 1970s.
He said still their companies had strong presence in the garment sector which was lifeblood of Bangladesh’s economy.
More than 220 Korean companies are now in Bangladesh employing over 160,000 workers. They are exporting $ 1.6 billion that account for 6 percent of Bangladesh’s total exports volume.
He said they had also stepped up public diplomacy with increasing people-to-people contacts.
The world’s 15th largest economy established its diplomatic ties with Bangladesh in 1973 when it was an aid-dependent country.
Bangladesh is now the fourth largest recipient of Korean economic development loan.
Korea is also home to more than 8,000 Bangladeshi workers who remit their savings back home.
To commemorate the day, Dec 18, the embassy organised a concert bringing artists of the two countries.
The embassy has been celebrating the 40 years bonhomie with Bangladesh with a year-long programme that includes exchanges of several leading cultural personalities as well as artists.
The Wednesday’s show drew a large crowd with diplomats of different missions, government officials, artists and eminent citizens, despite a violent political situation.
The Ambassador dedicated Wednesday’s show to the “peace and prosperity” of Bangladesh.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Secretary for Bilateral and Consular Mustafa Kamal who was also an ambassador to Seoul between 2005 and 2007 was present at the function as chief guest.
He said there were “immense potentials” between the two countries to help each other and deepen the relationship further.
He said Bangladesh also want a ‘peaceful’ Korean peninsula.
Source: Bd news24