Korean Embassy, KOTRA organises Infrastructure Road Show in Dhaka

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the KOTRA Dhaka office organised the “Infrastructure Project Roadshow 2025” on Wednesday at the Amari Hotel for the sixth consecutive year to boost bilateral trade.

Thirteen Bangladeshi state entities and 35 Korean construction and engineering companies took part in the event.

Director General of KOTRA, Mr Jinhak Hur, in his welcoming speech, stressed the importance of infrastructure cooperation in developing close bilateral ties between the two countries.

Representatives from Samsung C&T, Hyundai E&C, Dohwa Engineering, Kolon Global, KECC, and others from the Korean side, and representatives from the Planning Commission, Department of Roads and Highways, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC), Dhaka WASA, Chattogram WASA, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCB), and Rural Electrification Board (REB) from the Bangladeshi side participated in the event.

Country Directors of the Korean Exim Bank and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND) were also present.

The Planning Commission made a presentation on the project approval process, which was well received by the Korean companies.

The meeting discussed that the planning approval process typically starts with a feasibility study and ends with administrative approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

The presentations also highlighted the Annual Development Programme (ADP) formulation and the development planning systems in Bangladesh.

Following the presentations, one-on-one meetings were held between interested Korean companies and government authorities, based on the results of a prior demand survey.

Korean companies have long been partners of Bangladesh. In recent years, bilateral relations have witnessed remarkable developments in areas of cooperation beyond ready-made garments (RMG), particularly in infrastructure.

Korean companies are also playing an important role in infrastructure development projects in Bangladesh through engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and engineering consultancy services worth billions of dollars over the past few years.

Korea is also providing direct support through KIND-initiated Government-to-Government (G2G) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.

The Korean Exim Bank is actively supporting infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, metro rail, power, water, and sewerage systems.

Through these initiatives, Korea aims to build even stronger ties with Bangladesh.

Participants in the roadshow expressed keen interest in further strengthening collaboration in infrastructure development.

The Bangladeshi side, expressing high satisfaction with the quality of work by Korean partners, stressed the strong potential for further cooperation between the two countries in developing Bangladesh's infrastructure.