Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Korea and Bangladesh will hold the fifth round of official negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Seoul from July 27 to 31. The talks come as Korea seeks to expand into promising emerging markets and diversify its export markets amid a rapidly changing global trade environment. Bangladesh, the world’s eighth-most populous country, is a key South Asian market with strong growth potential.

The Office of Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) said that around 60 delegates from the two countries will attend the talks. The Korean delegation will be led by Park Geun-oh, Director General for Trade Agreement Policy at MOTIR, while Bangladesh’s delegation will be led by Ayesha Akther, Additional Secretary and Head of the Foreign Trade Agreement Wing at the Ministry of Commerce.

Since declaring the launch of negotiations in November 2024, the two countries have held four formal rounds and several intersessional meetings. They have finalized the agreement text in four areas: customs procedures, rules of origin procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), and technical barriers to trade (TBT), laying a solid foundation for further progress.

In this round, the two sides aim to resolve key outstanding issues in eight areas: goods, services, investment, rules of origin, digital trade, intellectual property rights, economic cooperation, and general provisions, and bring the negotiations close to a conclusion.

With a population of 170 million, Bangladesh has posted average annual economic growth of more than 6 percent since 2000 and is scheduled to graduate from least developed country (LDC) status in November 2026. It is also actively opening its market by pursuing accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and free trade agreements with major economies, including Japan. A Korea–Bangladesh CEPA is expected to expand the export base for Korean automotive and petrochemical companies and broaden economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, manufacturing, and digital industries.

“Bangladesh is a major South Asian market that is growing rapidly. A CEPA will help Korean companies expand into the region and diversify their supply chains,” said Director General Park. “MOTIR will make every effort in this round to resolve as many outstanding issues as possible and bring the negotiations to a swift conclusion.”