Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury today said Bangladeshi workers have been making significant contributions to various sectors of the Korean economy through their skills, discipline, dedication, and work efficiency. He made these remarks during a courtesy call by a South Korean delegation led by Han Eun-Sook, Director of the Foreign Workforce Division of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
State Minister Md. Nurul Hoque was also present during the meeting. Ariful expressed Bangladesh's great importance to its longstanding friendly relations and close cooperation with South Korea. He also expressed sincere gratitude to the South Korean government for its continued cooperation and support in creating employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers.
The Employment Permit System (EPS) has emerged as an important and mutually beneficial framework for labor migration between the two countries. A total of 38,059 Bangladeshi workers have secured employment opportunities in South Korea since 2008. As one of the major sending countries under the EPS, Bangladesh is committed to further strengthening and expanding this partnership.
Nurul Hoque said Bangladesh is interested in working on practical measures to maximize quota utilization, improve roster management, worker selection and recruitment, strengthen Korean-language training, and ensure greater participation of Bangladeshi workers in the Korean labor market. He also sought the South Korean government's favorable consideration for creating employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in additional sectors, including agriculture and livestock.
Han Eun-Sook said South Korea primarily recruits workers through the EPS system to ensure transparency. He expressed interest in working jointly with Bangladesh to ensure complete transparency in the EPS recruitment process. Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) Managing Director Mohammad Rashedul Haque and senior officials of the ministry were present during the courtesy meeting.
