Seoul, 15 February 2021:

A webinar titled “Bangladesh-Republic of Korea: Digital Conclave” hosted by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul was held on 15 February 2021 at 1400 hrs (Korea Time) and at 1100 hrs (Bangladesh Time).Close to 35 participants from both countries including senior government officials and representatives from the notable ICT organizations participated in the above event which was the first such initiative of the Embassy focused only on the ICT sector of both countries. 

H.E. Mr. Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Secretary (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh in his introductory remarks provided a brief overview of the potentials and possibilities of the ICT sector of Bangladesh and its remarkable growth in recent times underlining its demographic dividend. He called upon the international partners including the Republic of Korea to avail of this unique opportunity.

The Chairman of KOEXIMA & KOTIPA Mr. Howard Jung reflected on the great strides made by different industries of the ROK including automobiles, machinery, shipbuilding, construction, health, and textile industry by enabling IT solutions.  He opined that Korea could play a significant role in the development of such industries in other countries as well including Bangladesh integrating its technology and expertise. The KOEXIMA also made a detailed presentation titled ‘South Korea and its ICT sector’ featuring the potential areas of bilateral cooperation.

President of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Mr. Syed Almas Kabir narrated the activities of the BASIS in the promotion of the ICT sector of Bangladesh in his speech as well as in his comprehensive presentation. He emphasized the regular exchange of views and bilateral visits between the representatives of IT companies of the two countries. Senior Vice-President of BASIS Ms. Farhana Rahman elaborated on the digitization process of Bangladesh underlining its e-Governance. She urged for technological support and financial investment for the manufacturing of digital device that is considered to be a potential sector in Bangladesh.

Mr. M N Islam of TiCON System Ltd, in his presentation on the ‘Key Impact of ICT Collaboration between Bangladesh and South Korea’, focused on the possible collaborative engagements between the two countries.

The representatives from various ICT companies and universities of the Republic of Korea including the SAMSUNG, Korea Productivity Center, Korea Innovation Promotion Association, Cyber University of Korea, and Global Control System Company in their remarks elaborated on their ongoing initiatives and emphasized the possibilities of bilateral research and development. During the question-and-answer session cooperation related to the production of semiconductor sector and launching of an online ICT education program for Bangladeshi students and professionals in the Cyber University of Korea were discussed.

Ambassador Abida Islam said that there is a wider acceptance of Korean ICT products in Bangladesh and the presence of Korean ICT companies are growing in Bangladesh given the growing demand of its consumer market and its rapid economic growth. She suggested that the innovative Korean SMEs, and Medium enterprises require to evolve their view of Bangladesh not being just a destination for labor-intensive manufacturing but a destination for development and export of high-end technology, products, and services including collaborative research-driven by increasingly young, innovative, and upwardly mobile Bangladeshi entrepreneurs. She also assured the participants that the seminar was not a one-off event, rather the beginning of a process where Bangladesh intends to reach out to more Korean mainstream companies and trade bodies.

The webinar came to an end with the vote of thanks given by the Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul.