Bangladesh apparel exporters were given a boost by the South Korean government's decision to grant duty-free access to over 300 Bangladesh products, including apparel. South Korea, which currently imports over 90 percent of its apparel from China, could switch a portion of its orders to Bangladesh where there is a much cheaper cost base. South Korea is a very important Asian market. Its economy was the 13th largest in the world in 2007 with per capita GDP of 24,600 U.S. dollars, compared to Japan's GDP per capita of an estimated 38,750 U.S. dollars.
