With regard to the official visit to Thailand on 26-28 August 2021 by Mr. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director-General and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, shared some details of the talks that took place between Mr. Chung Eui-Yong and Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand on 27 August 2021.
Foreign Minister Chung stressed that President Moon Jae-in personally instructed him to visit Thailand, given President Moon’s good relations with the Prime Minister of Thailand. This is Foreign Minister Chung’s first visit to Thailand in his capacity as Foreign Minister. Moreover, it is also the first visit to Thailand by any foreign minister from the ROK in three years.
To Foreign Minister Chung, Thailand has held a special place in his family’s heart since his posting in Thailand 37 years ago. Today, he has witnessed Thailand’s impressive advancements from his posting till the present, and is confident that Thailand will once again become “the miracle on the Chao Phraya River” in the post COVID-19 period.
On the ROK’s cooperation with Thailand on vaccines, which is now the Thai government’s top priority, Foreign Minister Chung informed that the ROK is now vaccinating her people and aims to vaccinate 70 percent of her population by September, in time to celebrate the big autumnal festival in the country. At the end of September, the ROK will also be able to cooperate with Thailand on vaccines.
Foreign Minister Chung said that he had met Korean businessmen and investors in Thailand on 27 August before his meeting with Mr. Don Pramudwinai. During this meeting, he expressed his full confidence in the Thai government’s stability and noted that the ROK had reached top ranking for foreign direct investment in Thailand in the first quarter of this year.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand emphasized strategic cooperation between the strong sectors of both countries, particularly the service sector, which is currently a priority for the ROK, as well as design capabilities. The ROK also has strong potential and best practices in the areas of research and incubation centers for new businesses. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation on AI, technology related to robotics, IoT, cyber security, the green industry, the electric vehicles industry, the construction industry, and cooperation on smart cities.
The ROK proposed a 2+2 meeting between the Foreign and Health Ministers, as well as a summit on industrial cooperation, which the ROK would host.
In addition, both sides discussed ways to enhance Thailand-ROK cooperation under bilateral and multilateral frameworks, as well as military and security cooperation.
The ROK agrees with, and fully supports Thailand’s BCG (Bio-Circular-Green Economy) concept. The ROK stands ready to cooperate with Thailand in all dimensions and also has a new policy, known as the Green New Deal, and the Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 Summit (P4G), which is aligned with Thailand’s BCG concept.
Source: The Government Public Relations Department