All foreign investors and business people working in Bangladesh should get equal treatment under the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program, South Korean Ambassador in Dhaka Lee Jang-keun said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Lee said this will be in line with the government’s policy to promote business-friendly environment.

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He hoped that all foreign investors will be eligible for vaccinations as soon as the vaccine supply becomes normal in Bangladesh.

Speaking at a virtual discussion, the ambassador pointed out that despite the growth of overall trade volume, bilateral trade between Dhaka and Seoul has remained static at $1.7 billion for the past decade.

In order to realize the full bilateral commercial potentials he called for fostering a business-friendly environment, including addressing the challenges in tax and tariff policy, repatriation of profit, and streamlining administrative procedures.

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul hosted the virtual discussion on “Bangladesh and ROK: Trade and Investment Opportunities”.

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Salman Fazlur Rahman, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Private Industry and Investment, Paban Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of BEZA, Md Sirazul Islam, Executive Chairman of BIDA, Sultana Afroz, Secretary and CEO of PPPA, Md Nazrul Islam, Executive Chairman of BEPZA, Abida Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to Korea also participated in the panel discussion.

He noted that Korea played a vital role in Bangladesh’s RMG sector becoming the world’s second largest exporter. Ambassador Lee highlighted the importance of furthering the bilateral commercial ties beyond RMG to various sectors such as bio-pharmaceutical and ICT.

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He said Samsung R&D Institute has been operating in Dhaka since 2011, employing 460 young software developers in Bangladesh, and that Korea Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) has recently inaugurated a 100-acre Hi-tech Park within KEPZ.