Bangladesh and South Korea on Thursday vowed to work together for a better and promising future making the best use of the opportunities that the two countries offer.  The two countries want to collaborate more than before amid emerging global challenges as 50 years of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and South Korea will officially be celebrated next year.  Also read:Dhaka, Seoul working closely to make more success stories: Envoy

The annual Korean Film and Tourism Festival 2021, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bangladesh, will begin on Wednesday at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in the capital’s Shahbagh. The 2021 film festival will begin with an opening ceremony followed by the premiere of the popular 2019 Korean film "Parasite," the first non-English language film to win the best picture award in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards in 2019. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid will join the inauguration ceremony as the chief guest. The ceremony will also feature K-pop performances by award-winning Bangladesh youngsters. Total 5 in-person films will be screened over 3 days (November 24-26) at the  main auditorium. From the world-famous movie “Parasite” to “Mal-mo-e: The Secret Mission,” a film based on a true story with depictions of the people who fought to defend their Korean mother tongue against foreign suppression. Read:Korea Film and Tourism Festival 2021 starts in Dhaka on Nov 24 The other movies scheduled for this festival are - “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” #Alive,” and “Red Shoes and The Seven Dwarfs” On the sideline of the film screening, the Korean Tourism Festival will be paralleled at the National Museum of Bangladesh, with an aim to showcase the picturesque scenery of Korea. Visitors to the Tourism Festival will also enjoy various live activities including Virtual Tour, Korean folk game, Hanbok Wearing, Dalgona Candy making, instant photoshoot, and the Korea Corner at the Museum. Despite the growing interest in this special annual festival and Korean pop culture among Bangladeshi audiences, the festival did not take place last year due to the Covid19 pandemic. “Now we are very pleased to resume the long waited event and ready to satiate the appetite for Korean films and beyond,” the organizers said regarding the festival.

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has reaffirmed his commitment to take the bilateral ties with his host country to new heights and diversify the areas of cooperation through more engagement with the business communities in Chattogram. Stressing that the two countries have a great potential to further develop mutually beneficial economic ties, Lee said the first round table meeting in Chattogram, the gate to Bangladesh, would be another step forward towards this. The meeting on Korea-Bangladesh economic relations was held in Chattogram's World Trade Center Sunday. It was organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in cooperation with the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Korea-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KBCCI). Lee made a presentation on Korea-Bangladesh relations focusing on trade and investment. Read: S Korean companies to be interested in Bangladesh’s nuclear energy sector: Envoy He also asked for the support of the CCCI for the Korean business community in Chattogram, mentioning the necessity of listening to the current investors to attract more Korean companies.

Winners of the 'Contents Contest on Korea-Bangladesh Relations' were conferred with awards by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at a ceremony held in Dhaka recently. The awards ceremony at the Embassy in Dhaka was held marking the anniversary of Korea-Bangladesh diplomatic relations. The awards were to encourage Bangladeshi content creators who have contributed to promoting understanding between the two countries. Read: South Korea suspends visas for Bangladeshis to curb Covid-19 Among a number of participants in the contest, Tanjina Haque bagged the first prize for presenting a comprehensive survey of the Korea-Bangladesh ties for almost 50 years with many pieces of relevant photos and records. Other winners of the contest are Istinarah Surrat Nubah, Naimul Hasan, Reyad Hossain, MD Nuralam Mollah, Abdullah Al Mamun and Norul Isam. Some of the works presented by them have been uploaded on the Embassy's website, it's Facebook page and YouTube channel. The history of the ties between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh dates back to the early 1970s, particularly the 12th of May, 1972, when Korea officially recognised the independent government of Bangladesh, said the Embassy.  Thereafter, it said, the two countries established official diplomatic relations on December 18, 1973, and Korea opened its Embassy in Dhaka on March 1, 1975.  Read:S Korea provides US$ 1 mn to IOM to support Rohingyas affected in recent fire This year marks the 48th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun shared an interesting story about the role of the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the initial period of the two countries’ relations at the 4th Bangabandhu Lecture Series held at the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy on March 15, 2021.  

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Dhaka celebrate its National Foundation Day (Gae-Choen-Jeol) this year virtually which falls on October 3.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea on Wednesday announced the winners of the first digital video contests on the K-pop and Korean culture held from August 17 to September 17.