1. The 6th Consular Consultation between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Thailand took place at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seoul, on February 22, 2024, co-chaired by Mr. Yoon Chusok, Director-General of the Consular Affairs and Safety Bureau of MOFA, and Mr. Rooge Thammongkol, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the consultation, the two sides discussed various consular issues.

※ The 4th ROK-Thailand Consular Consultation took place in Seoul in 2019 and the 5th in Bangkok in 2022.

2. The ROK side expressed gratitude to the Thai side for its active cooperation in handling incidents and accidents involving Korean nationals in Thailand over the years. The ROK also asked for the interest and cooperation of the Thai government for the safe stay of Korean visitors to Thailand, the number of which has been continuously increasing since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the ROK expressed concern about the growing number of undocumented Thai residents in the ROK and proposed that the two countries work together to address the issue.

3. The Thai side requested that the ROK consider stricter scrutiny with the K-ETA system to prevent Thai nationals from being denied entry at airports in the ROK, mentioning that it would also help reduce dissatisfaction among Thai nationals. In response, the ROK side acknowledged the inevitability of the stringent entry inspection due to issues such as the increase in the number of undocumented Thai residents in the ROK. However, the ROK emphasized that the ROK government is taking all necessary measures to prevent unintended harm to innocent Thai nationals. The ROK side also hopes to closely cooperate with the Thai side to ensure that people-to-people exchanges and amicable relations between the two countries continue to be further expanded and strengthened.

※ Thailand ranks second among the ASEAN countries in the number of visitors to the ROK (approximately 380,000 in 2023) and is the second most popular destination for Korean tourists among the ASEAN nations (approximately 1.51 million in 2023).

4. Both sides noted with appreciation that the 6th Consular Consultation, which came two years after the 5th in 2022, served as a useful opportunity to discuss in depth ways to enhance cooperation in consular affairs between the two countries. Furthermore, both sides shared the view that enhancing consular cooperation is crucial for increasing people-to-people exchanges and furthering amicable relations between the two nations. They agreed to hold the 7th Consular Consultation in Bangkok in January 2025.