Director General of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Kim Jong-won has encouraged the Korean business executives to reorient their focus and policy priorities toward Bangladesh and seize the opportunity offered by Bangladesh for mutual benefits. The former chief of the Dhaka KOTRA office made a presentation on the trade and investment opportunities in Bangladesh at a business event held recently in Seoul.  In his deliberation, Kim presented the upward trend of Bangladesh’s economic growth and its future growth projection with a comparative analysis with other developing countries.  Read: Sustainable Development: Separate ministry for blue economy proposed He opined that considering the ongoing economic development, investment-friendly environment and policy and competitive labor cost, Bangladesh could be a better option for Korean businesses and investments.  Kim informed that the Korean tech giant Samsung and Hyundai have recently started establishing assembling plants in Bangladesh in partnership with the local companies for some of its products like mobile phones, home appliances, and automobiles, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul.

Romania, a country in southeastern Europe, has decided to recruit around 40,000 workers from abroad, paving the way for Bangladesh to send more workers to that country.    “This is a new area. We’ve already sent around 1,000 workers. We can send more. They’ve (Romania) decided to recruit around 40,000 workers from abroad,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen while talking about his recent visit to Romania.  He said the Romanian government prefers government-to-government recruitment as they feel more comfortable to recruit people in a better regulated way.  “There’s no space for illegal entry there,” said the Foreign Minister, adding that some 860 Bangladeshis entered Germany from Romania illegally.  These 860 people will be sent back to Bangladesh from Germany through International Organization for Migration (IOM). READ: ‘Catch’ tax-dodging foreign workers, ACC chief tells NBR officials The Foreign Minister said Romania needs construction workers, electricians, household helpers, workers in manufacturing units apart from doctors and nurses.   “They’ll (Romania) identify in which areas they need workers from Bangladesh and in which area we can provide,” Dr Momen said, adding that they will have to follow it up to reach an understanding.