Embassy of South Korea, Bangkok (; ), a

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

of the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

to the

Kingdom of Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, is located at No.23 Thiam Ruam Mit Road, Ratchadapisek,

Huai Khwang District Huai Khwang (, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It is east of the city centre. Neighbouring districts are Chatuchak, Wang Thonglang, Bang Kapi, Suan Luang, Watthana, Ratchathewi, and Din Daeng. History Huai Khwang ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. The mission was opened as a Legation following the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Thailand in 1958. After promoted to the status of Embassy in 1960, it changed its location a few times and moved into the current address in 1990. The Korean Embassy, led by an Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, is divided into several sections tasked with different affairs like politic, economic, culture and

defence diplomacy In international relations, defence diplomacy (also known as military diplomacy), refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities. Origin of concept Defence diplomacy as an o ...

History

The formal Korean-Thai relations was established on 1 October 1958, and the two countries issued a joint statement to exchange diplomatic missions on the same day. It was announced on 20 January 1959 that

Choe Deok-sin Choe Deok-sin (; September 17, 1914 – November 14, 1989) was a South Korean Foreign Minister who later defected with his wife, Ryu Mi-yong, to North Korea. Choe was born in Uiju County, North Pyongan Province. In 1936, he graduated fro ...

, then Ambassador to

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, would concurrently accredited to Thailand as an Envoy in order to

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

the new Korean Legation in Bangkok, which was promoted to full status of Embassy on 30 August 1960, with

Yu Jae-hung Yu Jae Hung (; 1921–2011) was a Republic of Korea (ROK) military officer who commanded the ROK II Corps and ROK III Corps in the Korean War. Early life Yu Jae Hung was born in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, on August 3, 1921. He returned to Korea ...

being South Korea's first Ambassador stationed in Thailand. The Embassy was located on 349, Silon Road right after its opening, later it operated on several locations including No. 181,

South Sathorn Road Sathon Road (, , ; also ''Sathorn'' or ''Satorn'') is a major road that passes through the districts of Bang Rak District, Bang Rak and Sathon in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is an important transportation link between Phra Nakhon District, Phra ...

and 6th floor, Prapawit Building, No. 28/1 Surasak Road. In 1990, the Embassy finally moved into the new compound on Thiam Ruam Mit Road, within which the structures were built with Korean-style, and the main building was designed by architect

Kim Joong-up Kim Chung-up (; 9 March 192211 May 1988) was a Korean architect and educator. Early life and education Kim was born in Pyongyang in 1922. He graduated from Yokohama Technical High School, where he studied Beaux-Arts architecture. After graduat ...

Offices & Sections

The South Korean Embassy in Bangkok has subordinate units including the Political Section (), Economic Section (), Consular Section (), Culture and Public Information Section (), General Affairs Section () and a Defense Attaché Office (). The Political and Economic Sections are responsible to conduct political/economic-related diplomatic negotiations and cooperation with the

Thai government Government of Thailand, officially the Royal Thai Government (RTG; , , ), is the central executive authority of the Kingdom of Thailand. The government is led by the prime minister ( Paetongtarn Shinawatra since 14 August 2024) who selects al ...

, investigating/reporting situations about

Thai politics The politics of Thailand are conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Thailand, prime minister is the head of government and a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch is head of state. The judic ...

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and foreign policies. They also work together with political/economic-related international organizations or investigate/report activities concerning these kinds of organization. The responsibility of the Consular Section includes the protection for South Koreans abroad, and deals with

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

, consular confirmation, civil affairs and

visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

services. The Culture and Public Information Section carries out introductions for

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945. Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...

in Thailand, promotion of national image, and the interchange of public opinion between the two countries. The General Affairs Section, acting as the managing department for the Embassy's operation, is in charge of administrative affairs including personnel, budget, paperwork, security and compound managements. Defense Attaché Office enhances the Korean-Thai

, military exchange and cooperation.

Heads of mission

References

{{Authority control South Korea–Thailand relations

Korea, South Huai Khwang district

History

Offices & Sections

Heads of mission

See also

References