South Korea, Thailand sustain expanding relations

BANGKOK, June 14 (TNA) - Bilateral relations between South Korea and Thailand have been sound and have kept expanding over the past 60 years, especially in the tourism sector. Both South Korean and Thai scholars expressed their appreciation to the longstanding relations between Seoul and Bangkok while participating in an international seminar on the South Korean, Thai relations, organized at Thammasat University in Bangkok on Thursday, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two allied nations. South Korean Ambassador to Thailand Noh Kwang-il said the sound and expanding relations between Seoul and Bangkok, both in the government-to government and people-to-people contacts, have been particularly seen in the increasing number of South Korean visitors to Thailand and vice versa. The South Korean top envoy pointed out as an example that the number of South Korean visitors to Thailand reached 1.7 million last year, while the number of Thai visitors to South Korea stood at 426,000. Besides, the number of Thai nationals working in South Korea now stands at nearly 90,500, while the number of South Korean nationals working in Thailand stands at almost 6,000. The South Korean ambassador acknowledged bilateral relations between Seoul and Bangkok started in 1950 when Thailand was the sole country in East Asia sending soldiers to support the South Korean force in the Korean War, which ended in 1953, paving the way for the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries on October 1, 1958. The participating South Korean and Thai scholars also shared their views and academic research projects on bilateral ties and cooperation between Seoul and Bangkok in economic, social and cultural aspects over the past 60 years, proposing, nonetheless, that both sides work together to bring about more balanced bilateral trade as Bangkok has had trade deficits with Seoul since 1975. (TNA)