Korea, Bangladesh to make next fifty years of bilateral relations more prosperous: Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh at NSU 

'The Korean government is determined to contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity as a global pivotal state. We want to embrace greater roles and responsibilities for resolving regional and global challenges and preserve universal values including freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,' stated H.E. Mr. Park Young-Sik, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

He spoke at the Ambassadorial talk organized by the Center for Peace Studies (CPS) of the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Office of External Affairs (OEA) at North South University (NSU) on February 12, 2024. The title of the talk was 'Modern Korea: History, Democracy, Economy, Peace, and Security'. Professor Atiqul Islam, Vice Chancellor of North South University chaired the session. The event was moderated by Dr. Katherine Li, Director, OEA, NSU. The event commenced with the introductory speech of CPS Coordinator Dr. Abdul Wohab.    

H.E. Mr. Park Young-Sik said Korea's commitment to innovation has propelled its economic development and global competitiveness with major investment in sectors like Research and Development (R&D), the smartphone industry, the semiconductor industry, and creative technology. He also highlighted that the Korean government made special efforts to strengthen governance, transparency, and accountability, and tackle corruption.

He further mentioned that 'as 78 years have passed since the division of Korea, the support level for unification has been declining. The younger generation of South Korea thinks that North Korea is now another country, only causing trouble and not helpful to South Korea'.   

The Ambassador said Korea is seeking to expand the contours of its cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. To support this goal, Korea is committed to building a multi-dimensional and comprehensive network of partnerships. They will also promote strategic partnerships tailored to each sub-region: the North Pacific; Southeast Asia and ASEAN; South Asia; Oceania; the African Indian Ocean; and Europe.

In a concluding note, the Ambassador hopes that 'Korea and Bangladesh could further develop bilateral relations in a mutually beneficial way. Building on what both countries have achieved over the past five decades, it is now high time for both countries to make the next fifty years even more prosperous.'  

As the session chair, Professor Atiqul Islam concluded the talk by saying that South Korea can be a good example for Bangladesh as we can learn from South Korea's tremendous economic growth amid the geopolitical tension in the Korean Peninsula.  

Engaging questions from the audience livened up the discussion. Participants from national and international organizations, universities, development organizations, embassies, media outlets, and other organizations attended both physically and virtually. Noted NSU and SIPG faculty members were also in attendance and provided insightful questions and commentary during the open session.