Visa issuance, delays at Ctg port, NBR barriers for investment: South Korea envoy

Complexities in getting Bangladeshi visas, prolonged process at the Chattogram port and the National Board of Revenue still remain barriers for investment, said South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Park Young Sik.

He said South Korea and Bangladesh share a strong economic partnership that extends beyond development assistance and is grounded in robust bilateral trade and foreign direct investment.

However, bureaucratic issues remain an issue of concern, Park said, noting of recent protests by the NBR officials who were opposing the agency being split into two divisions.

He was addressing an event titled "Bangladesh-South Korea Relations: Pathways for Future Cooperation", organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium in the city.

The South Korean envoy said India was focused on its strategic independence, China was working on its Belt and Road Initiative while the US's priority was Indo-Pacific Strategy.

"South Korea does not have any strategic interest in Bangladesh," he said, adding that both the countries could further develop bilateral relations in a mutually beneficial way.

Chief adviser's special assistant on finance ministry Anisuzzaman Chowdhury said although Bangladesh had better financial and human resources, it did not have social capital since the society was divided on political, religious and ethnic lines hindering the country's overall development.

He underlined the need for transfer of knowledge and technology from South Korea for the country's development without depending on aids.

He called upon all concerned not to allow any civil society or professional orgnisations to split on ethnic, political, or religious lines.

Anisuzzaman stressed on the continuity of the deep bilateral cooperation and the necessity of robust diplomatic engagements.

BIISS Research Director Mahfuz Kabir made a presentation at the event chaired by BIISS Chairman AFM Gousal Azam Sarker. Its director general Maj Gen Iftekhar Anis delivered the welcome remarks.