Bangladesh and South Korea have concluded negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, moving the process to legal procedures ahead of a possible formal deal.
A senior Commerce Ministry official said South Korea had agreed to open 111 specialised service subsectors to Bangladesh under the proposed arrangement.
Bangladesh, in return, committed to open 95 service subsectors to South Korean investors and service providers.
The fifth and final round of negotiations took place in Seoul from 27 to 31 July, involving about 60 government representatives from the two countries.
The official said negotiations had stalled near the end over three issues, including services, before South Korea agreed to the proposed market access.
The official said Bangladesh’s opening of services was designed to preserve protections for small and medium-sized enterprises, local banks and other sensitive economic sectors.
The sectors offered to South Korea were described as those needing substantial foreign investment and advanced technology.
The proposed access could cover opportunities for Bangladeshi IT firms and skilled workers in engineering and shipbuilding, the official said.
Potential areas mentioned also included temporary work arrangements for engineers and marine technicians, as well as service roles for nurses, physiotherapists and caregivers within legal frameworks.
For South Korean providers, the prospective access was described as covering selected infrastructure, logistics, telecommunications and technical-education activities in Bangladesh.
The commerce ministers of Bangladesh and South Korea were scheduled to make a joint declaration in Dhaka on 4 August announcing the completion of negotiations.
The proposed agreement is being pursued as Bangladesh prepares to graduate from the least-developed-country category.
The evidence does not establish a signing date, the full legal text, implementation timetable, or the final conditions governing access to the listed service subsectors.