From 20–21 December 2025, Mr. Bancha Yeunyongchongcharoen, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs, together with Mr. Wararoj Engsombun, Head of the Overseas Election Coordination Center, and officials from the Department of Consular Affairs, participated in mobile consular services organized by the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul at the Lotte Hotel Busan, in order to encourage Thai nationals in South Korea to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming overseas parliamentary election as much as possible.
More than 400 Thai nationals in the South Korea attended the event to receive consular services, including applications for Thai national ID cards and passports. On this occasion, the delegation encouraged Thai nationals in South Korea to register for overseas voting in which the registration system was operated for the first time on that day. The delegation also promoted the Thai Consular application as a digital platform for accessing almost all consular services.
Importantly, this overseas election marks the first time Thai nationals abroad are eligible to register for overseas voting by using the latest expired Thai national ID cards and passports This significant development was a result of regulatory amendments aimed at expanding the voting rights.
The Department of Consular Affairs expresses its appreciation to the Election Commission of Thailand for revising the relevant regulations, as well as to the Bureau of Registration Administration, Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior, for developing a registration system to accommodate Thai nationals overseas. These efforts have encouraged more than 1.5 million Thai nationals worldwide to exercise their right to vote.
According to the feedback, it appears that Thai nationals in South Korea are very enthusiastic and interested in exercising their right to vote. It is expected that the number of registered voters will continue to increase worldwide.
The delegation, together with Mr. Chawadol Nipathannont, Minister/Deputy Chief of Mission, and representatives from the embassy’s consular section, also had a consultation meeting with representatives of the Hantaemo Association, a Thai association with over 30 members that plays an important role in promoting Thai culture and strengthening the harmony of Thai community in the southern part of South Korea.
In addition, the delegation held discussions with Mr. Kim Gwang-yong, Head of the Busan Foreign Workers Support Center, and learned about the center’s support mechanisms for foreign workers, including Thai nationals. These include Korean language training, which will help Thai workers to improve their Korean language skills when applying to change their visa status from unskilled workers to skilled workers and Virtual Reality (VR) occupational safety training, specifically made for Thai workers in shipbuilding industry in Busan areas.
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