South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra agreed Wednesday to boost their countries' cooperation in the field of water resources management, a spokesman said.

Kang, now on a 13-day trip through Southeast Asia, paid a courtesy call on the Thai leader in Bangkok earlier in the day and the two sides discussed ways to deepen their economic ties, National Assembly spokesman Bae Sung-rye said in an e-mailed press briefing.

Citing the two nations' growing ties over the past half-century in trade, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Kang expressed hopes that the countries' relations will develop further through frequent exchanges of visits between top-level leaders and lawmakers, Bae said.

Yingluck conveyed her congratulations to South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye, saying she is happy as a fellow woman that Park won the December election. The prime minister also said she would like to meet Park in the near future

Kang requested the prime minister's help in allowing South Korean firms to take part in projects to build a flood-prevention and water resources management system in Thailand.

The prime minister said she "highly evaluated" South Korea's water management abilities during her visit to the country last year, adding South Korean firms can "expect good news."

The Thai government is currently accepting bids to build a US$11.3 billion water management system. (Yonhap News)