Relationship dossier
Bangladesh
South Korea
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation on labor mobility, development assistance, trade, and investment
Bangladesh toward South Korea
+35Bangladesh participates in South Korea’s Employment Permit System, enabling Bangladeshi workers to take jobs in South Korea under a government-to-government framework. Bangladesh has also pursued economic engagement with South Korean investors.
South Korea toward Bangladesh
+40South Korea has supported Bangladesh through development-assistance programs, including KOICA cooperation and concessional financing, and South Korean companies have invested in Bangladesh. South Korea’s Employment Permit System also provides a formal channel for Bangladeshi workers.
Overall relationship
+35The enduring relationship is shaped by practical economic cooperation, including a government-managed labor pathway, South Korean development assistance, and investment links. These arrangements support a cooperative bilateral structure, although the relationship is not characterized here as an exceptionally close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bangladesh and South Korea maintain a substantially cooperative relationship centered on labor mobility, development assistance, trade, and investment. Bangladesh participates in South Korea’s Employment Permit System, while South Korean development programs and business investment have supported economic ties. The relationship is cooperative across several practical areas, though its scope is more focused than a close strategic partnership.
Key developments
Bangladesh began sending workers to South Korea through the Employment Permit System, creating a government-managed labor-mobility channel.
South Korea has provided development assistance to Bangladesh through KOICA programs and concessional financing.
Major uncertainties
- The current scale and implementation of bilateral development and investment commitments are unclear.
- The extent of cooperation beyond labor mobility and economic affairs is uncertain.