, April 1 -- South Korean Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lim Sang Woo has expressed optimism that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between two friendly countries would be signed at the soonest.

Once signed, he hoped the CEPA would take the bilateral relations beyond the area of free trade, encompassing services, investment, and industrial collaboration.

Speaking at a reception in Seoul on Tuesday, the Korean Deputy Minister expressed the willingness of the Korean government to work with the newly elected government of Bangladesh and to expand bilateral cooperation based on mutual respect and trust.

He also expressed satisfaction over the current level of cooperation encomp...