His Excellency Mr. Ri Su Yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited Thailand from 8 – 11 August 2015 upon the invitation of His Excellency General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in order to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the DPRK.
         On 10th August 2015, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The two sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, including exchange of visits at all levels, cultural exchange and technical cooperation, particularly issues of interest to the DPRK, namely, food security, agriculture and public health, ICT and tourism.
         On trade and investment issues, General Tanasak expressed his hope that DPRK Government would take good care of the Thai investors in the DPRK. In 2014, the volume of bilateral trade was USD 126.33 million. Thailand’s exports to the DPRK include rubber, chemicals and plastics. Thailand’s main imports from the DPRK are chemicals, iron and steel, and electrical machinery.
         On multilateral issues, Thailand expressed its readiness to facilitate dialogue between the DPRK and the international community. Thailand also played a key role in supporting the DPRK’s membership to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 2000. Thailand expressed its readiness to support discussions in ASEAN regarding DPRK’s request to become ASEAN’s dialogue partner, in accordance with ASEAN rules and procedures.  Concerning the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Thailand expressed hope that concerns over the DPRK’s nuclear programme and human rights situation would be addressed through constructive engagement between the DPRK and the international community.
         The Delegation visited the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, which showcased best practices in sufficiency economy that could be applied to help the grassroots in the DPRK.
         At the request of the Korean side, the DPRK Minister of Foreign Affairs also visited Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate to study industrial estate management and administration, as well as Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited to receive a briefing on agribusiness, particularly shrimp and livestock farming. The Delegation also gave a briefing to Thai investors regarding investment and business opportunities in the DPRK and invited the Thai private sector to invest in the DPRK. The DPRK reassured Thailand that it would take good care of existing and new investors.  
         The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK invited Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to visit the DPRK as an exchange visit, and would return to Thailand afterwards to observe development projects in other sectors in Thailand in the future.