Korea to donate test kits of Covid-19 to Bangladesh

CNI Desk: Korea will extend strong support to Bangladesh in the fight against COVID-19 and pledged to provide an additional US $800,000 worth of test kits to help curb further spread of the virus.

This was stated by the newly appointed Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun when he paid separate courtesy call on Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, State Minister Md Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

During the meetings, Ambassador Lee expressed strong support for the Government and the people of Bangladesh in their fight against COVID-19.

 

Through KOICA, Korea’s aid agency, Korea has provided PPEs to nurses at the National Institute of Advanced Nursing Education and Research and emergency food to vulnerable residents in Mugda area last month and is planning to donate PCR test kits and walk-through booths to the Ministry of Health in the coming weeks.

Ambassador Lee emphasized his firm commitment to closer bilateral ties between Korea and Bangladesh, building up on the historic visit by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon to Bangladesh in July 2019, which marked the first visit by a Korean Prime Minister to Bangladesh in 17 years.

The Korean Ambassador said it is imperative that the two countries work closely on follow-up measures to deepen and expand the relationship in a variety of areas, including the rescheduling of the vice minister-level policy consultation meeting postponed earlier this year.

Ambassador Lee commented that the mutually beneficial relationship is evident in the areas of investment and remittance in particular, adding that Korea ranks 6th in terms of accumulated FDI in Bangladesh with USD 1.1 billion and 12th in wage remittances by Bangladeshi expatriate workers.

The volume of bilateral trade reached around 1.7 billion US dollars last year and around 150 Korean companies are now investing in Bangladesh.