A visiting South Korean delegation on Tuesday afternoon met with the minister for expatriates' welfare and overseas employment, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, with both sides agreeing to deepen cooperation on labour migration under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

The South Korean delegation was led by Han Eunsook, director at South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labour. State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque was also present at the meeting.

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said in a press release.

Chowdhury said Bangladesh placed high value on its long-standing friendship and close cooperation with South Korea, describing the EPS as an important and mutually beneficial framework for labour migration between the two countries in recent years.

He thanked the South Korean government for its continued support in creating employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers.

The minister noted that Bangladeshi workers had made significant contributions across various sectors in Korea through their skill, discipline, and dedication. 

He said a total of 38,059 Bangladeshi workers had found employment in South Korea since 2008, adding that Bangladesh, as one of the leading sending countries under the EPS, remained committed to strengthening and expanding the partnership.

State Minister Nurul Haque said the ministry was keen to work on practical measures to maximise quota utilisation, improve roster management, streamline worker selection and recruitment, expand Korean language training, and ensure greater participation of Bangladeshi workers in the Korean labour market. 

He also sought South Korea's favourable consideration for opening employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in additional sectors, including agriculture and livestock.

Han Eunsook said South Korea operated its worker intake mainly through the EPS to ensure transparency and that while Korea remained keen to receive workers from Bangladesh, it was equally cautious that the selection process remain fully transparent. 

She expressed interest in working jointly with Bangladesh to further strengthen transparency in the EPS process.

Also present at the meeting were the ministry's Secretary Md Mokhter Ahmed, Managing Director of Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) Mohammad Rashedul Haque, and other senior ministry officials.