FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Thailand and South Korea have reiterated the need to strengthen their "strategic partnership" after Korea's first female leader took office yesterday.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra met Park Geun-hye, the eldest daughter of the late president Park Chung-hee, after Ms Park took the oath of office as president at an outdoor ceremony in front of the National Assembly yesterday.

Ms Yingluck is among special guests invited to join the inauguration ceremony of the first female president of South Korea.

Both female leaders reiterated their commitment to double two-way trade to US$30 billion in 2016 through exports of Thai rice, poultry, frozen chicken, and fruits such as longan and pomelo.

Thailand and South Korea issued a joint statement on trade cooperation in November last year when former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak visited Thailand.

The female leaders yesterday also discussed various bilateral issues including cooperation on promoting the roles of women in the region.

Ms Yingluck also invited Ms Park to attend a high-level meeting on Asia-Pacific Water Resources, which Thailand will host in May.

A South Korean firm, Korea Water Resources Corporation (K Water), is one of six qualified bidders selected by the government for its water management projects worth 350 billion baht.