Bangladesh turns to South Korea to modernize land management

Irregularities and corruption at every stage have become a longstanding feature of the land sector. It is difficult to find anyone who has not faced severe suffering and complications over land related matters. Despite various initiatives taken by successive governments to resolve these problems, the desired results have not been achieved. This time, Bangladesh is planning to restructure its land administration based on South Korea’s successful land management model to resolve these longstanding complications permanently.

According to sources at the Ministry of Land, advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and geographic information systems (GIS) will be used for comprehensive land management. The country will also undertake nationwide digitized cadastral surveys to prepare land records and maps and establish an integrated modern land information system. A central data bank and a one stop service system will also be developed.

To turn these plans into reality, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will travel to South Korea this week to participate in high level bilateral strategic discussions. He is scheduled to meet with South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Export Import Bank of Korea. He is also expected to hold meetings with senior policymakers including the South Korean president, deputy prime minister and trade minister.

In 2016, Bangladesh launched a small scale manual project with South Korean assistance to improve land management. The project is now nearing completion. This time, Bangladesh is seeking South Korea’s land management model and loan assistance to digitize the entire sector. The estimated cost of the initiative is Tk 105 billion. Of this amount, Bangladesh will seek Tk 80 billion in loans and Tk 8.75 billion in grants from the South Korean government. The remaining Tk 17.5 billion will come from the government’s own funds.

Acting Land Secretary Md. Emdadul Haque Chowdhury told Agamir Somoy on Monday, “Several initiatives related to land are underway with South Korea. There is currently no market based valuation system for land. As a result, even when land is bought and sold, the prices do not reflect reality. The government is losing revenue, while this creates opportunities for black money to be invested. We will establish a market based land valuation system. The same initiative will be taken for land acquisition.”

He added, “Land records and maps will be surveyed digitally across the country. An accurate survey is being conducted for this purpose. Once these initiatives are implemented, public suffering, corruption and investment of black money will decrease. Government revenue collection will increase.”

According to sources at the Ministry of Land, implementing the planned land management system based on South Korea’s model will take at least 15 years, from 2028 to 2042.

During the first phase, from 2028 to 2033, land records and maps for 20 districts will be prepared through digitalized cadastral survey operations using the new system. In the second phase, from 2034 to 2039, records and maps for 35 districts will be prepared. The third phase will run from 2040 to 2042. During these three years, the government aims to prepare mouza maps and land records for six districts and three hill districts.

According to sources, under the South Korean model, any change in land ownership or land transaction will automatically update the central database. This system is known as a “single source of truth.” It will eliminate opportunities for land related fraud and duplicate ownership.

Once the system becomes operational, manual methods of determining the value of immovable property or land will be discontinued. Instead, an advanced model will automatically determine accurate market prices based on real estate market data and transaction histories. This will ensure fair compensation for land acquisition and secure government revenue collection.

In addition, a fully digital “one stop service” system will be introduced to provide citizens with faster services without harassment. Through the Certificate of Land (CLO) system, citizens will be able to obtain land certificates and related services from home through a fully secure digital process.

These measures have helped make South Korea’s land management system one of the most advanced, digitalized and automated systems in the world. The country’s progress in land administration has been driven by the successful application of technological advancements, artificial intelligence (AI), geographic information systems (GIS) and precise data governance.

Sources said the Ministry of Land has completed the preliminary preparations to modernize land management through joint efforts with South Korea. The initiative has also been incorporated into the government’s five year Strategic Framework for Reform and Development, covering July 2026 to June 2031.

The framework prioritizes nationwide digitalized cadastral surveys to prepare land records and maps and the development of an integrated land information system. It also emphasizes ensuring fair compensation for land acquisition.

Other priorities include market based valuation of immovable property to determine actual lease fees and reduce corruption, as well as introducing the Certificate of Land (CLO) system to establish a one stop service for land ownership certification. The plan also includes developing land use planning systems to support better government decision making and establishing a land data bank to ensure efficient service delivery.

However, South Korea and Bangladesh began working together in 2012 because of similarities in their cultures and the histories of their land administration systems. A feasibility study was conducted that year. Subsequently, a loan agreement was signed in 2016, bringing the Export Import Bank of Korea into a project to improve Bangladesh’s land management system.

Under the agreement, the project titled “Establishment of a Digital Land Administration System” was launched. It is now nearing completion.

Most recently, a delegation from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Land visited Seoul, South Korea, in July 2025. During the visit, bilateral meetings were held with South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Export Import Bank of Korea, the International Contractors Association of Korea and the Korea Real Estate Board.

During the meetings, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on conducting digitalized cadastral surveys to prepare land records and maps in Bangladesh and developing an integrated land information management system.