Khon Kaen, Thailand, 27 May 2026 — The Mekong Institute (MI) welcomed officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Thailand and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Thailand to discuss closer collaboration, including on new areas.

The meeting, held at the MI Secretariat, was hosted by MI Executive Director Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn and attended by Minister Kim Nam-hyuk of the RoK Embassy and Ms. Jiheh Chun, Country Director of KOICA Thailand. Also in attendance were MI directors and staff, including Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, MI’s Director of Special Projects and Resource Mobilization, who also serves as Director of the Mekong–RoK Cooperation Fund (MKCF).

The meeting began with a video presentation by the MI team highlighting the progress and achievements of MKCF. Discussions then covered upcoming regional events involving the Republic of Korea, as well as opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Minister Kim weighed in on potential areas for collaboration and possible avenues for regional engagement. Ms. Chun, meanwhile, suggested looking into working together in the areas of AI and digitalization.

Mr. Suriyan noted how the discussions opened promising opportunities for future collaboration with the RoK Government. “We are grateful to the RoK Government for being a long-standing partner of the Mekong region in advancing sustainable development through regional cooperation. We look forward to continuing our partnership in support of inclusive regional progress,” he said.