South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has highlighted the role of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Bangladesh alumni in strengthening and deepening the friendly ties between Bangladesh and Korea. He particularly mentioned their role in connecting the many talented and ambitious Bangladesh youth with the Korean academic community. Ambassador Lee also asked them to play an important role in celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023. Also read: Ambassador Lee eyes 3 dynamic strategies to boost Dhaka-Seoul ties He wished that more Bangladeshi students could find chances to study in Korea in the coming years and expressed his commitment to making strenuous efforts to this end. On Saturday, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted the first ever GKS alumni meet-up in Dhaka in cooperation with the GKS Bangladesh Alumni Association. Around 40 GKS Bangladesh alumni members, President of the Korea-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KBCCI) and Chairman of the Meghna Group of Industries Mostafa Kamal, President of the Korean Community Association in Bangladesh Yoo Yong-oh, Director of KOICA Dhaka Office Do Young-Ah and other dignitaries participated in today’s event. The Global Korea Scholarship is a South Korean government programme to provide foreign students with an opportunity to study in Korean universities with scholarship. Under this program, every year around 20 Bangladesh students are going to Korea for undergraduate or graduate studies. Since 2011, 172 Bangladeshi students have benefitted from the GKS program, among which 137 were in graduate programs while 35 were in undergraduate programmes, according to the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka. At present, around 1,500 Bangladeshi students are studying in Korean universities, most of them with various scholarships opportunities, including the GKS. The number of Bangladesh students in Korea continues to increase every year, and Korea is becoming an increasingly preferred destination for Bangladesh as well as for students from all around the world, said the Embassy.

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said KOICA’s different bilateral projects in ICT sector since its operation in Bangladesh remarkably helped Bangladesh to establish the pillars of 'Digital Bangladesh’.  He was addressing a function held in a city hotel on Thursday evening.  Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA), jointly celebrated KOICA’s 30th anniversary titled "Deepening Bilateral Ties between Republic of Korea and Bangladesh for LDC Graduation." Chairman of parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Lee Jang-keun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, Monzur Hossain, MP, President, KBAA and Chairman, Rupali Bank Limited and Young-Ah Doh, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office were present. 

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said the future of Bangladesh-South Korea relations “looks very bright and it will get brighter” with diversified success stories with a significant one already created by Youngone. “We see the future of our relations very, very bright. The reason is very simple…,” said Ambassador Lee responding to a UNB question sitting beside Chairman and CEO of Youngone Kihak Sung at Korean EPZ. Also read: S Korean Ambassador-designate Lee in city The South Korean Ambassador noted that the shining accomplishment that Bangladesh has shown not only to its people but the entire world is something that offers many opportunities ahead. Both Sung and Ambassador Lee welcomed the members of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the KEPZ to show the facilities there. KEPZ President Jahangir Saadat was also present. Referring to South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun’s recent remarks, the Korean envoy said his Prime Minister’s message captured all the elements of the bilateral relations and Korea’s assessment over the future of bilateral relations. "We'll be the most trusted friends to Bangladesh, ushering in a shining future together," Korean Prime Minister Chung recently said, mentioning that Bangladesh, with its remarkable economic development and rapid emergence in the heart of Asia, is echoing the miracle on the Han River, a major river in South Korea. He said the international community has been deeply impressed to see that Bangladesh, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic when the world economy has slowed down, succeeded in achieving the greatest level of economic growth. Also read: Bangladesh, Korea to explore untapped potential “We’ve enjoyed an excellent relationship in the past decades. Our future relationship looks much better,” said Korean Ambassador Lee, adding that both Bangladesh and Korea achieved remarkable economic growth even during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the KEPZ is a symbol of Korea-Bangladesh cooperation and relations and Youngone came here 40 years ago setting a shining example. Inspired by his love of nature and outdoor pursuits, Kihak Sung founded Youngone Corporation in 1974. “The relations between Korea and Bangladesh are very unique in many senses, especially in terms of the RMG sector it is very, very unique,” said the Ambassador. He said the Korean companies have grown up together with Bangladesh and the readymade garment or RMG is already the main industry of this country. Showing around the facilities at KEPZ, Youngone Chairman Sung said some Korean companies are very interested to come to this zone. “I’m pursuing them to come and contribute to the industrial development of Bangladesh.”   He said infrastructure in and around Chattogram is progressing very well. “I must say I’m very optimistic that we’ll be doing much better. We’re doing a very good job in bringing more investment.”