South Korea and Thailand have agreed to support each other in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as the global health crisis has turned into one of the greatest challenges to humankind in the modern era.
The pandemic was one of several issues raised during talks between South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chung Eui-yong, and his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai, held during a formal visit to Thailand between Aug 26-28.
South Korea's ambassador to Thailand, Lee Wook-heon, told the Bangkok Post that the meeting yielded positive results for Thai-Korean relations -- one of which was an agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak.
"[The ministers] expressed their appreciation for the assistance and support extended to one another during the Covid-19 pandemic, and agreed to collaborate closely towards a sustainable post-Covid socio-economic recovery," he said.
In the meeting, both ministers underscored their commitment to enhancing cooperation on the field of emerging infectious diseases and other threats to public health -- which includes the research, development, production and distribution of vaccines.
In addition to the drafting of an agreement on health cooperation, the ministers said they were looking forward to the convening of the first Korea-Thai Foreign and Health Ministers' 2+2 Dialogue on Health Security, Mr Lee said.
He said the meeting should be held at the earliest possible date, with a view to enhancing bilateral partnership on the aforementioned areas.
Deepening ties
In addition to discussing diplomatic and public health cooperation, Mr Lee said the ministers had also discussed closer collaboration in a number of other areas, including security.
Both ministers agreed to continue working together on defence -- especially on the issue of cybersecurity.
A bilateral dialogue on cybersecurity, he added, will be planned for a later date.
The meeting also yielded further commitments on trade and investment, balancing the development of infrastructure and development between rural and urban areas, smart cities, as well as technology, digital economy and human resources, he said.
"The Thai side urged us to increase our investment in high-tech industries, such as next-generation automobiles, smart electronics -- in particular, semiconductors, robotics and automation -- and health, plus bio-circular-green industries, especially in the Eastern Economic Corridor [EEC]," he said.
"Meanwhile, we asked for the government's continued support for South Korea to participate in major infrastructure projects."
In addition, Mr Lee said, both sides recognised that the Asean-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has played an important role in opening up the region to trade and investment.
As such, he added, both ministers believed that the Regional Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (RCEP) will be crucial to achieving a sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery.
He also said Seoul appreciated Thailand's firms support for the Korean Peninsula Peace Process, and the South Korean government's efforts to achieve denuclearisation and peace on the split peninsula.
Attractive destination
The ambassador said Foreign Affairs Minister Chung met South Korean business owners based in Thailand before his meeting with Mr Don, in which he received an appraisal of the country's economic situation from the standpoint of investors.
Mr Lee said that with its robust manufacturing sector and the government's active promotion of its industries, Thailand, as the second-largest economy in Asean, is still one of the most attractive destinations in the region for Korean investors.
The fact that South Koreans were the largest foreign investors in Thailand in the first quarter of this year -- which was marked by severe economic difficulties -- shows the huge potential for future cooperation, he said.
"Therefore, their voices, to which Foreign Minister Chung carefully listened during his visit in Thailand, will be the most important reference for further enhancing Korea-Thailand investment cooperation,'' he said.
Korean entrepreneurs who met Mr Chung urged him to address a number of problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, chief of which was the complicated procedure for travelling between the countries.
At present, Mr Lee said, research and development personnel, as well as facility maintenance inspectors from South Korea, are still required to quarantine upon arriving in Thailand, and vice versa, which could hinder the completion of their work.
Moreover, he said, the entrepreneurs said further tax reductions and infrastructure development guarantees by the Thai government will help to attract more investors.
"We could look forward to further cooperation, especially in promising areas such as water management, alternative energy, health care and smart cities, where the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model of Thailand and the Green New Deal Policy of Korea be applied in synergy," he said.
He said further details will be discussed by the Korea-Thailand Committee on Economic Cooperation, Joint Committee on SMEs and Investment Summit.
Upcoming events
Thailand has been a close ally of South Korea since the Korean War, in which young Thai lives were lost. That said, the relationship between both countries has continued to evolve since then, with both countries actively pursuing new opportunities for collaboration in various sectors.
Thailand, Mr Lee said, is one of South Korea's most important partners under its New Southern Policy (NSP) and its subsequent extension, the NSP Plus.
In May, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including partnership in health, future industries, the green economy as well as Mekong-Korea and Asean-Korea cooperation.
The phone call took place on the occasion of the P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) Seoul Summit, which Gen Prayut attended virtually at the invitation of President Moon.
Mr Chung's visit was intended to keep the high-level exchanges going and maintain close communication between the countries, in addition to follow-up on the leaders' most recent conversation, he said.
"I believe that the best way is to come up with as many as opportunities for close communication and frank discussion, as our two countries have already done quite well so far," he said.
This year, for instance, South Korea will host the 4th UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Seoul on Dec 7-8, which will focus on achieving tangible steps to improve peacekeeping operations.
This occasion could be a good opportunity for both countries to have a discussion, he said.
"With regards to the 2022 Apec summit, which will be hosted by Thailand, we are more than ready to closely work with Thailand towards a sustainable socio-economic recovery in the post-pandemic era,'' he said.
