The South Korean coach who guided Thai taekwondo to world class has received Thai citizenship.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had signed an order giving national citizenship to taekwondo coach Choi Young Seok of South Korea.
The prime minister thanked him for his dedication to taekwondo in Thailand and his success.
His Thai name is Chatchai Choi, given to him by Chao Khun Thongchai, a senior monk at Wat Traimit. He applied for Thai citizenship on Aug 13 last year.
Chatchai has coached the Thai taekwondo team since 2002 and steered the country to be among leaders in the sport. Thailand has bagged one gold medal from the Olympics, five gold from the Asian Games, and 48 gold from the SEA Games. Thailand won five classes in the World Championship under his guidance.
The only Olympic gold medal came in July last year, when Panipak "Tennis" Wongpattanakit won the women’s 49kg final.
"I want to be a Thai, and not a Korean, when I win the Olympic gold medal for Thailand," he said in an interview with the Bangkok Post in March last year.