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Korean Business and Trade Diaspora in Bangladesh: Problems and

Prospects of Doing Business

Presentation · February 2018

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28003.58406

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Korean Business and Trade Diaspora in Bangladesh:
Problems and Prospects of Doing Business

Dr. Saifur Rashid Dr. Peter K. Yun

Professor of Anthropology Intercultural Specialist
Teaching at Ebenezer International School
University of Dhaka Dhaka, Bangladesh

LOGO
KOIKA Volunteers working with the Destitute
Children in Bangladesh
 The Outline

Korean Diaspora around the World and in Bangladesh

Korean Business and Trade in Bangladesh

Korean Diaspora and their Engagement in Bangladesh

The Gulshan attack and aftermaths

The Rationale of the Study

The importance of the study

A Proposal for an immediate Study

Methods of the study

 Overview of Korean Diaspora

❖ The Korean Diaspora consists of roughly seven million people.

❖ Nearly four-fifths of expatriate Koreans live in just three countries:
China, the United States, and Japan.
❖ Cumulatively, there were about 5.3 million Korean emigrants as of
2010.
❖ According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South
Korea over 7 million Korean people lives across the world outside
Korea.
❖ Bangladesh is not a very popular destination for Korean migrant
workers.
❖ For the Koreans, Bangladesh is a destination for investment.
Textile/1980s/EPZ
❖ According to a Government press note the number of Koreans
living in Bangladesh is approximately 1500.
Korean Diaspora in Bangladesh

The Reality

Lack of Hardly any

Proper Data anthropological
because of study on the
poor Korean
immigration Diaspora in
records. Bangladesh
A Korean Grocery Shop in Banani
(Dhaka)
Korean Business and Trade in Bangladesh

Strong official diplomatic relations

About 13,000 Bangladeshi skilled

migrant workers in South Korea

Joint military exercises

Import/Export

Involvement of Korea Importers

Association (KOIMA)
 KD: Engagement in Bangladesh

❖ KOICA and KOTRA both are working for the development of Bangladesh.
❖ Korean entrepreneurs first came to Bangladesh in the early 1970s.
❖ The Garment sector of Bangladesh has also been developed by the Korean
Textile machineries, equipment, and heavy duty machineries.
❖ Engagement of the Korean engineers and technicians in RMG sector.
❖ Public and Private organizations other than RMG Sector.
❖ Korean Embassy, allied government organizations, NGOs, Missionaries and
other development organizations, Korean companies, trade bodies,
investment companies, private businesses, restaurant and housing business.
❖ Korean brands like LG and Samsung are now ‘household names’ in Bangladesh.
❖ Youth Koreans working as volunteers.
❖ Many of the Koreans have married Bangladeshis and can speak Bangla.
❖ Korean foods, music and drama are getting very popular among the teenagers.
❖ Runs some schools, churches, hospital and other charity organizations.
❖ Korean development workers are very trusted in the rural areas.
❖ Cities: Mainly in Dhaka, Chittagong. More than 160,000 Bangladeshi workers
are working in Koreans owned Garment factories in Dhaka & Chittagong
 Korean People Playing Tennis in a Local Club

Text

Text

Text
Text
 Table

Type of Organizations Number of Remarks

Organizations
Embassy and other allied public organizations, 20
NGOs, Missionaries and other development
organizations
Korean MNCs Companies 22 Few of these have multiple
(mobile, electronics, air conditioner and lift, offices
construction equipment, automobiles and others
Investment Companies 33 They include Banks, factories,
companies and others
Garments, textiles and other labor oriented 51
manufacturing industries in Dhaka
Garments, textiles and other labor oriented 72 Some factories are located in
manufacturing industries in Chittagong the KEPZ and others are in
various places of Chittagong
Construction Companies 12

Private Business (various types) 10

Restaurant, housing and guest houses, daily shops 21

(groceries and others)
Text in here Text i here Text in here
 Aftermaths of the Gulashan Terrorist Attack

Aftermath

The Attack Facts ❑Security

threats
❑1st July 2016 ❑A video taken ❑JICA and KOIKA
Gulshan Terrorist by a South decided to halt
Attack Korean named their activities.
❑The hostages Hwang (who lives ❑Korean
killed nine in the US) from a Diaspora people
Italians, seven window of a in Bangladesh
Japanese and an building adjacent were shocked as
Indian. to the café had well.
gone viral on the
Facebook.
Pictorial: Gulashan Terrorist Attack
 Need, Feasibility and Capability of a Study

❖ There is a serious need of detailed study on the KD in

Bangladesh.
❖ The capability of the Department of Anthropology at the
Dhaka University to conduct in-depth research.
❖ Undertook a small joint study on the Job Satisfaction and
Dissatisfaction of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Korea.
❖ Approaching towards some research projects on the
Korean Business and Trade Diaspora in Bangladesh.
❖ The proposed study would cover the culture, business, life
styles, intercultural relationships, problems and prospects
of doing business in Bangladesh.
 Objective and Rationale of the Study

❖ The research will help to understand about the business environment for
Korean business and trade diaspora from their perspectives.
❖ The proposed studies will have the following specific objectives:
➢ To Know About
▪ History of Korean business investment in Bangladesh
▪ Volume of investment and potentials of further investment
▪ Problems of investment & problems of doing business here
▪ living condition of Koreans in Bangladesh, their food, shelter, recreation, community
participation, language, culture, children education, learning Korean, English and
Bangla, and their safety and security
▪ The role of Korean Embassy and the Government of Bangladesh in promoting Korean
Business in Bangladesh
➢ To find A
▪ detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by Korean
entrepreneurs
➢ To Do A
▪ survey on a variety of Korean communities within the broader Korean diasporas such
as business community, industry workers, management professionals, embassy
people, NGO/ development workers, students and others
 Korean Factories in BD

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 Proposal

An immediate study

“The Current
Trends of
Korean Business
in Bangladesh”.

Small Scale Database Documentary

 Ethnographic Study

Area Sample Coverage

The Embassy
Owners/
people, KOTRA,
Korea owned representatives/
Korea Bangladesh
garments management
Chamber of
industries in people of some
Commerce, Korean
Bangladesh selected Korean
Buying Houses and
owned garments
others (regarding
industries located
managing
in both Dhaka and
businesses).
Chittagong
 Methods of the Study

Both Qualitative and

Quantitative
Sample
Survey Key
Informants
Interviewing
Visual
Documentation Framework

Case
Studies
Narrative
analysis
 Major Outcomes

The living condition

The experience of doing business

Get
Reliable Data
Current situation after the terrorist attack on KD in BD

Future Plan for expanding Business in BD

Bangladesh Embassy Meets Korean in Seoul
 Meeting for Establishing Korean Study Centre at NSU

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