South Korea Delivers 15,000 Tonnes of Rice to Sustain Rohingya Food Assistance in Bangladesh
Bdbusinessdaily.com – As the Rohingya displacement crisis crosses into its tenth year, a fresh shipment of South Korean rice has arrived in Bangladesh to keep food assistance flowing to nearly 1.2 million refugees who remain trapped in Cox’s Bazar with no realistic prospect of returning home. The Republic of Korea has committed 15,000 tonnes of rice alongside 150 tonnes of fortified rice kernels, a combined package designed to address both caloric needs and micronutrient gaps among the most vulnerable members of the refugee population.
Handover Ceremony Marks Formal Transfer
The physical handover took place on 6 September at the World Food Programme’s Sagorika Warehouse in Chattogram, where representatives of the Bangladesh government, the Korean diplomatic mission, and WFP gathered to witness the transfer. The rice was channelled through Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and will be routed to Cox’s Bazar for distribution under WFP’s General Food Assistance programme.
The fortified kernels, which carry added vitamins and minerals, are not distributed separately. Instead, they are blended into the bulk rice before it reaches refugee households. This mixing process is intended to lift the nutritional profile of every ration, with particular benefit expected for young children, elderly refugees, and other groups at heightened risk of malnutrition.
Officials Frame the Contribution as a Partnership Milestone
ABM Shafiqul Haidar, Additional Secretary at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, acknowledged the Korean government and its people for what he described as a sustained gesture of solidarity.
“Today’s contribution is a testament to what enduring friendship, cooperation and partnership can achieve. It reflects our shared commitment to addressing humanitarian challenges and supporting those in need with compassion and resolve.”
Kim Ji-joon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, emphasised that the shipment extends a long-running pattern of Korean support for the refugee response. He highlighted the nutritional dimension of the donation, noting that the fortified component goes beyond simple caloric relief.
“By adding essential micronutrients to food assistance, we hope to support not only food security but also improved nutrition outcomes for vulnerable families. Korea remains committed to working with the Government of Bangladesh and WFP to support the Rohingya community during this difficult time.”
Coco Ushiyama, WFP Representative and Country Director in Bangladesh, underscored the timing of the delivery. Humanitarian requirements in Cox’s Bazar continue to outstrip available funding, and each new contribution helps close a gap that would otherwise translate into missed rations for thousands of families.
“It will help ensure that families continue to receive essential food assistance, while the fortified rice kernels will strengthen the nutritional quality of assistance provided to vulnerable refugees.”
Ushiyama extended gratitude to the Republic of Korea for its ongoing solidarity with a population that remains overwhelmingly dependent on external humanitarian aid for basic sustenance.
A Decade of Displacement and a Deepening Korean Role
The Rohingya crisis, triggered by waves of persecution and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State beginning in 2015, has produced one of the world’s largest and most protracted refugee situations. Nearly 1.2 million people now live in camps and settlements across Cox’s Bazar district, where livelihood opportunities are scarce and the prospect of a safe, voluntary, and dignified return to Myanmar remains distant. Sustained donor funding is therefore not optional but essential to maintaining food security and nutrition support at scale.
South Korea’s involvement in the Rohingya response is neither new nor isolated. In 2024, MAFRA supplied 15,000 tonnes of rice for the operation, followed by 20,265 tonnes in 2025. The current shipment extends that trajectory and signals continued political will in Seoul to back the humanitarian effort.
From Recipient to Provider: Korea’s Six-Decade Arc with WFP
The relationship between the Republic of Korea and the World Food Programme stretches back more than sixty years, beginning in an era when Korea itself was a recipient of international food aid. Over subsequent decades, Seoul transformed that early dependency into one of the most consistent in-kind food-assistance pipelines in the global humanitarian system. In 2025 alone, MAFRA allocated 150,000 tonnes of rice to WFP operations across 17 countries, with Bangladesh among the beneficiaries.
As the Rohingya crisis enters its tenth year, WFP has reiterated that continued international assistance is critical not only for the refugees themselves but also for the Bangladesh government and the host communities that have sheltered the displaced population for nearly a decade. The Korean contribution, arriving amid constrained resources and escalating needs, underscores how multilateral cooperation remains the primary mechanism through which the world’s most protracted refugee crises are kept from collapsing into outright famine.
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