Bangladesh missed a chance to secure manufacturing investment from South Korean technology giant Samsung back in 2013, according to Koica Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) President Md Saifullah Panna.
Samsung brought an investment proposal to Bangladesh over a decade ago, but the country failed to win the project, Saifullah said while speaking at the KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Night 2026 held at a hotel in Dhaka on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) arranged the gathering alongside KBAA to discuss future collaboration and strengthen ties between the two nations.
Saifullah, who serves as a secretary attached to the Ministry of Public Administration, stated that Samsung shifted its plans to Vietnam after the local bid fell through.
Vietnam now serves as a massive manufacturing hub for the tech company, with Samsung product exports from Vietnam exceeding $57 billion in 2025 based on reports from the Vietnamese government.
If Samsung had built its facilities inside Bangladesh, the national economy would have experienced a complete transformation, Saifullah told the audience.
State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki attended the gathering as the chief guest and voiced optimism about future Korean business partnerships.
State Minister Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki told guests that he hopes the past setback with Samsung will transform into successful investments in other sectors down the road.
KOICA Bangladesh Country Director Jihoon Kim also spoke at the event, noting that the development partnership between Bangladesh and South Korea reaches far past training programs.
Jihoon Kim added that program alumni help widen the positive impact of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.