Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat speaks at Thai National Day event at Lotte Hotel, Seoul on December 5. (Sanjay Kumar/ The Korea Herald)

The Thai Embassy in Seoul reiterated deepening tourism and economic ties with South Korea, marking the country's National Day.

Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat, in his remarks at the event, highlighted renewed momentum in Thailand-South Korea relations, citing high-level visits and the first meeting between Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at the ASEAN Summit.

Sangrat underscored the leaders' commitment to closer economic cooperation, including finalizing the Economic Partnership Agreement next year.

He highlighted Thailand's strong global competitiveness, which ranks 25th worldwide and second in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.

Sangrat announced an investment drive to Thailand for Korean investors, focusing on economic collaboration in innovation, digitalization, green growth and future industries, while Thai power corporations invest in renewable energy projects in South Korea.

Meanwhile, the ambassador also cited the success of the Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival: T-Pop Story, which attracted over 50,000 attendees.

“The embassy also initiated an unprecedented special passport project this year, issuing over 37,000 passports for Thai nationals in the Republic of Korea,” he added, using the formal name for South Korea.

“I am pleased to note that the Republic of Korea has placed fourth in the total number of visitors to Thailand this year, with over 1.6 million Koreans visiting Thailand, while more than 200,000 Thais have visited the ROK,” he said.

“Korean remains one of the most popular foreign languages for Thais, with 50,000 students currently studying Korean in Thailand.”