PHNOM PENH, March 13 – Cambodia and South Korea signaled plans to deepen economic cooperation after bilateral trade reached about $157.6 million in January–February 2026, up 10.6% from a year earlier, according to data attributed to Cambodia’s customs authority.
Cambodian exports to South Korea totaled roughly $65.7 million, rising 21.5% year on year, while imports from South Korea reached about $91.9 million, an increase of 3.9%, the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE) reported.
The figures were cited during a March 12 meeting in Phnom Penh between Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, first vice-chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), and South Korean Ambassador Kim Chang Yong, where both sides discussed ways to expand trade and investment links.
According to meeting accounts reported by local media, the ambassador invited Chanthol to lead a Cambodian investment promotion delegation to South Korea in June, while both sides also confirmed plans to convene the third Cambodia–Korea Government-Private Sector Dialogue on April 8.
Officials framed the initiatives as part of a broader effort to translate the Cambodia–Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership, established in 2024, into more operational economic cooperation.
That framework includes a consultation mechanism between the CDC and Korean stakeholders aimed at improving conditions for Korean companies and exploring future industrial collaboration.
Security cooperation and investor confidence
South Korean officials have also highlighted cooperation with Cambodia on online-scam enforcement as an important factor in strengthening investor confidence.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said earlier this year that a joint Korea-Cambodia investigative team had apprehended more than 130 suspects within two months of operation, describing the cooperation as a meaningful step in addressing crimes affecting Korean nationals overseas.
Analysts say the law-enforcement collaboration has become part of the broader diplomatic effort to stabilize the operating environment for Korean businesses in Cambodia.
Institutional channels expanding
Economic cooperation between the two countries has also expanded through institutional and business-facilitation channels.
In February, the Council for the Development of Cambodia signed a Letter of Intent with the Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, aimed at encouraging companies based in the South Korean port city to explore manufacturing and logistics investment opportunities in Cambodia.
Separately, Cambodia’s central bank and several South Korean financial institutions have previously agreed to develop cross-border digital payment and remittance systems, part of a wider push to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two economies.
Investment pipeline still forming
Despite the diplomatic activity, publicly available evidence of major new South Korean capital commitments in Cambodia remains limited.
CDC data show that 43 investment projects worth about $752 million were approved in January, though the aggregate figures do not yet break down South Korean capital separately from joint-venture investments.
Officials from both countries have also discussed the possibility of establishing a Cambodia–South Korea special economic zone, though no legal designation, site identification or formal project approval has yet been announced.
For now, the relationship appears to be moving through what officials describe as a pipeline-building phase, combining trade growth, security cooperation and institutional dialogue aimed at encouraging future investment flows.
