The recent Thai Festival in Seoul was indeed a sight to behold. It's not often people can dance to molam and luk thung at Cheonggye Plaza, or eating som tam while lounging leisurely by Cheonggyecheon Stream. But the two-day event recently held in South Korea proved a delight for Thais as well as local Koreans and other foreigners.
According to HE Singtong Lapisatepun, ambassador to the Republic of Korea, the Thai Festival in Korea started in 2015 and has been organised annually ever since, in order to create awareness and promote good relations between Thailand and Korea.
"Over the past four years, the Thai Festival has been receiving more popularity among Koreans and foreigners. The numbers of participants is increasing each year. Last year, there were over 31,500 people who attended the festival," said the ambassador.
The Thai Festival in Korea was hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul, along with partners such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Department of International Trade Promotion at the Ministry of Commerce, and more. The festival was born as an initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Thai culture and tourism, and increase business opportunities for Thai products and brands. Around the world, Thai Festivals are held annually, with famous ones happening in different cities in Japan, China, Singapore, India, Germany and Belgium. In South Korea, they have been organised in both Seoul and Busan.
The content of the festival is curated by the Thai embassy in each country. In South Korea, this year's fest is themed "So Thai", referring to Thai identity, combining both modern lifestyles and traditional arts and culture, to present different angles of Thailand to all attendees. Among the activities were performances by national artists, appearances by TV actors, graffiti by Alex Face, and of course an abundance of Thai food for all to try.
Livening up the crowd was Banyen Rakkaen, a veteran performer who is a National Artist of Performing Art in Folk Music, and her daughter Candy, who took to the stage to perform luk thung and molam. It was Banyen's first time performing in Korea.
The mother and daughter said they were ecstatic and proud to perform for the crowd in Seoul.
"It's like we get to represent Thai people here today. We get to stand on stage and perform for all of the foreigners. And so we did our best," said Candy, who performed upbeat, contemporary luk thung numbers, while her mother gave a more traditional show. The crowd enjoyed their music a lot. Among those dancing along to their performance were Ambassador Singtong and his wife plus members of the Thai community who lived there.
"We know there are a lot of Thais here. And so we bring Thai culture to them," Candy continued. "Isan is not all about molam; we also have luk thung. We want everyone to have fun. Maybe they miss home, so we were singing songs from home to them. Some may feel lonely that they don't get to be with their family. We hope music can help relieve them from homesickness a little."
Their performance was followed by maestro Tanis Sriglindee, National Artist of Performing Art in Thai Contemporary Music, who brought his flute to play different tunes for the audiences. He also got down from the stage to perform among the crowd of both Thais and foreigners who began dancing in circles around him.
Even in Thailand, it's not easy to see these national artists perform live, and so intimately with the audiences. It was a real treat for all who attended their performances in Seoul, which were sponsored by Thai AirAsia X.
Thai artist Kotchawat Buranapinyo was also among the talents showcasing more contemporary Thai arts. In his works, he put a cute, modern twist on the known Thai traditional designs and patterns, such as drawing tiny cats together in the shape of a temple gate.
For the Thai Festival in Seoul, he designed works that were used throughout the festival space, which incorporated the Korean tricoloured Taegeuk symbol with elements of Thainess under the concept of "Thai Sanook". We see taekwondo next to muay Thai fighters, Thai costumes next to hanbok.
"It's a merger of traditional design, in a more modern, fun and lively way. I'm also curious as to how people from both countries will react upon seeing the familiar and unfamiliar together," Kotchawat said.
While there was a lot to see, there was also a lot to tickle one's taste buds. Pawinee Daokae, a Thai restaurant operator in Korea, brought a feast for all to try. Her stall was laden with som tam, fried pork, mango sticky rice, durian sticky rice and more. There was a long queue outside her Amazing Nongkhai stall.
"I've been living in Korea for 20 years," said Pawinee. "The Thai community in Korea is quite big. There are students, workers and businessmen. People are happy to be here. The quality of life here is pretty good.
"Thai restaurants are also a hit here. There are 200-300 Thai restaurants scattered across Korea. Many of them are owned by Koreans. As an international cuisine, Thai food is loved by many. Thai customers often order Isan food, while foreigners go for the classic tom yum goong, green curry and pad Thai."
Not just the Thais were enjoying the event; the Koreans seemed to be having a great time as well. Expressing his congratulations to the event, HE Yim Geun-hyeong -- ambassador for international relations of the Seoul Metropolitan Government -- called the Thai Festival one of the greatest events to introduce Thai traditional and modern culture to Korean citizens.
He went on to say that Thailand and the Republic of Korea have long established a strong friendship, since the days of the Korean War when Thailand sent troops to help. Into the modern era, the bond has been growing to encompass different aspects of the two countries.
"Thailand is also a strong foothold in Southeast Asia for the Korean wave, and has made active exchanges with us in various areas, including TV drama, K-pop, language and so on. It is a brother country of Korea," Yim said.
In 2006, Seoul became a sister city to Bangkok, which has encouraged active engagement between the two ever since in areas of IT, transportation, environment and culture, said Yim of the strong bond between the two cities
"I hope Thailand and Korea, and Bangkok and Seoul, can be of one heart and one mind, and continue to co-operate in the future," he said.
As Thai culture continues to be promoted, we also see the growth in tourism between the two countries. Nadda Buranasiri, Group CEO of AirAsia X, said almost 1.8 million Korean tourists visited Thailand last year, while fewer than one million Thais travelled to South Korea. He feels there's still a lot of potential for growth from both sides.
"Before, Koreans mostly travelled to Thailand for business. But now, based on our flights, we are seeing more young people escaping the cold to be at our beaches. They taste famous street food in Khao San. They visit rooftop bars, which Thailand has a wide range to offer, from those of 5-star quality to affordable, student-priced ones."
"People's lifestyle has changed a lot, and it opens room for an idea that, if they have, say, a five-day holiday, they can come to Thailand, and also vice versa for Thai people. In the past, people my age would say if they get no bonus, they don't fly. But now, with the new generation, they feel travelling is an education for themselves. So, regardless of anything, people will go out to see the world. And this has greatly influenced the growth in tourism."
