The craze for Thai food is clearly visible in Seoul, and not just when celebrity chef Nooror Somany Steppe of the famous Blue Elephant Cooking School is whipping up a dish of Pad Thai, as she did at the Asean Culinary Festival recently.
Thailand is a popular travel destination for Koreans. The number of "made in Thailand babies" attests to the country's popularity among honeymooners from the world's 11th largest economy.
About 1.3 million Koreans visit Thailand every year, while many of the 500,000 Thais who travel to Korea annually are drawn by a love of Korean popular culture. K-Pop is a well-established phenomenon in Thailand and across Asia, and one of the highest-profile global exports of the country of 50 million.
Because it is sandwiched between two major economies -- China and Japan -- that tend to get more attention from Southeast Asia, Korea is becoming increasingly interested in raising its profile across Asean, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
Thai ambassador Sarun Charoensuwan believes South Korea can play an important role in helping develop Asean infrastructure which would strengthen regional links and Korean business activities in the region.
"Thailand can also learn a lot from Korea about the creative economy in order to add value to our economy and upgrade various sectors," said Mr Sarun.
Promoting innovation and research and development, as Korea has done successfully, would fast-track Thailand's development and help the country break out of the middle-income trap, he said.
"I see Korea as our natural partner in combining our strengths -- namely their innovative expertise and our abundant resources."
Mr Sarun made the comment during a recent visit by a Thai delegation shortly after the passing of King Bhumibol, who is fondly remembered in South Korea.
Kim Young-sun, secretary-general of the Korea-Asean Centre, reminisced when he began his diplomatic career as a desk officer for Thailand, King Bhumibol was looking for a substitute plant so that people living in the Golden Triangle area could make a living from other crops instead of opium.
"His Majesty asked whether the Korean government could send a specialist in foxglove, which is a medicinal plant. I remember searching very hard for this foxglove specialist. I did find him in the end, and sent him to Thailand," said Mr Kim.
It was during the reign of the late king that Korean-Thai relations flourished. Thailand was one of the first to express support for Korea in its fight against communism, sending troops to fight in the Korean War in the early 1950s.
"We are forever grateful," said Mr Kim. "I hope that the Kingdom of Thailand will soon overcome its sadness and that the people will come together for further development of the country."
Thailand sent a total of 11,786 infantry soldiers to Korea and four thousand tonnes of rice as food aid. Last month, former prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn visited a Thai military unit that fought under the UN flag in the Korean War.
To show its appreciation, South Korea offers scholarships to veterans' descendants as well as 90-day visa-free stays to Thai travellers, while other Asean nationals have to seek visas.
Korea and Thailand usually share the same positions on international affairs and have cooperated on many political and security issues since diplomatic relations were established in 1958. The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012.
Two-way trade last year amounted to US$13.3 billion, including $6.4 billion in Korean exports to Thailand and $4.9 billion in Thai exports to Korea. Korean investment in Thailand has accumulated to about $3 billion although both sides believe there is room for improvement.
When Mr Hwang met with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Oct 12, they exchanged many ideas on expanding ties, and signed memoranda of understanding in education and railway infrastructure cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak also expressed hope that Korean investors would participate in major infrastructure projects in Thailand when he met President Park Geun-hye in March 2016.
Korean businesses are eager to take part in Thai rail, subway, water management, port and airport projects as well as satellite and smart-city development programmes.
But economists in Seoul say expanding Korean investment in Thailand is not easy as some companies feel they cannot compete in a market where the Japanese are the major investors.
"Korean SMEs also complain that Thailand's labour wages are higher than in Cambodia and Vietnam. Some even prefer to go to Indonesia. Thailand, however, has the best facilities and attractions for Korean tourists," said one economist.
Korean lawmakers, have not taken any positions when it comes to Thai politics, said Chung Sye-kyun, the speaker of the National Assembly.
"Thailand and Korea have had friendly ties for a long time and we're grateful that Thailand sent troops to fight in the Korean War," he said during his address to a gathering of 2016 Kwanhun-KPF Press Fellowship members.
"However, the Korean people are not interested in [Thailand's] internal politics. The National Assembly ... [hopes] for the quality of life of Thai people and advancement of our friend."
Both sides, he said, are trying to find ways to maximise longstanding connections. While a trade agreement dates back to 1961, the two peoples have known each other for more than 600 years.
In 1391, during the reign of King Gongyang (1389-92), Nai Gong, an envoy of the Siamese King arrived in the capital of Koryo. The envoy brought a letter from the King to open up bilateral trade, together with native products as gifts.
According to Korean records, ginseng trade took place -- Korean ginseng was famous even back then.
Thailand in more recent times held the distinction as the site of the first overseas construction project undertaken by South Korea. The four-lane, 98-kilometre Pattani-Narathiwat highway in southern Thailand was built by Hyundai in 1965 with an investment of $5.4 million, according to Mr Kim.
In the 1960s, the Korean government sent officials to Thailand to study agricultural development and apply it to Korea's national development plan. Now, Thailand is more eager to cooperate and learn from Korea.
"We are trying to strengthen Korea-Thailand relations in the context of Asean engagement -- public-private partnership projects to develop infrastructure (transport, energy and ICT) in the Asean region, in cooperation with the Federation of Korean Industries, the Asean Connectivity Forum and Asean Trade Fair," said Mr Kim.
For the past two years, he added, the Asean-Korea Centre has been sharing Korea's experiences in the creative industry -- fashion in particular -- with Thailand. It has also worked on ICT programmes and the Phuket smart city project with the Thai government.
Next year the Centre plans technology cooperation capacity-building workshops for Asean SMEs in e-commerce in both Bangkok and Seoul.
While the actions of governments are important, true partnership depends on deep mutual understanding between the people of two countries, said Mr Kim.
Currently, there are about 20,000 Koreans living in Thailand, while the Thai community in South Korea has about 25,000 people.
Hankuk University in Seoul recently celebrated 50 years of teaching the Thai language. Photo: Achara Ashayagachat
Education is one of the most important channels for deepening mutual understanding. The establishment of the Department of Thai at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1966 has been significant in enhancing Korean-Thai relations.
About 450 Thai students are now studying in Korea. There are also about 100 Korean graduates who have studied Thailand and the Thai language. These specialists will be at the frontline of enhancing mutual understanding.
About 25,000 students are estimated to be studying the Korean language in 100 secondary schools in Thailand. Because of its rising popularity, Korean will be adopted as an official subject for Thai university entrance exams starting in 2018.
Two other universities in Korea -- Yongin and the Busan University of Foreign Studies -- also have Thai departments. In Thailand, Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai and Burapha University in Chon Buri offer Korean as a foreign-language major for undergraduates.
While K-Pop has a huge following in Thailand, some Thai movies including Ong Bak and Shutter, have done well in Korea. In 2011 the two countries together worked on The Kick, a martial arts film about a Korean family of tae kwon do experts who immigrate to Thailand. In the 1980s, a Thai-made movie was based on Arirang -- a love story between a Thai soldier and a Korean woman.
The Korea-Asean Centre is also trying to promote the Asean School Tour Programme to promote better understanding of Asean, including Thailand. Students from a number of schools in one city get together in one location, and join fun programmes such as golden bell quizzes, cultural performances, activity booths and talk shows with the Asean diplomats and ambassadors.
On the international front, Thailand and Korea are both committed to reducing global warming, supporting sustainable development, managing natural disasters, and combatting global terrorism.
South Korea and Thailand, which were severely affected by the 1997 financial crisis, were the prime movers behind the Chiang Mai Initiative to overcome the effects of future crises. They also co-chaired the ARF Disaster Relief Exercise in 2013.