South Korean Embassy in Thailand ‘boogies’ to celebrate Songkran Festival (video)
The South Korean Embassy in Thailand got down and boogied in preparation for this week’s Songkran Festival.
The embassy staff, including the South Korean Ambassador to Thailand, Moon Seoung-hyun, got into the Thai New Year festive spirit by taking part in the traditional “Ram Thai” dance. The two-minute video went viral, receiving over 400,000 views in just four days on the Korean Cultural Centre’s Twitter and Facebook pages, reported The Nation.
Many Thai viewers expressed appreciation for the ambassador’s participation in their country’s biggest festival, with some commenting on the warm bilateral relationship between South Korea and Thailand.
The Ram Thai dance is a traditional Thai dance that honours Hindu gods, featuring circular formations and hand and arm movements to convey a story. The video showed Ambassador Moon pouring water into a Buddha statue as part of the Songkran tradition, followed by a joint Ram Thai dance performance featuring Korean traditional dancers, Khon masked dancers and martial artists.
The video’s end credits featured scenes of the embassy staff practicing the Ram Thai and a water gun battle between the ambassador and his team. Many viewers found the clip heartwarming, hoping for a long-lasting relationship between the two countries.
Ambassador Moon said…
“On the occasion of Songkran, it was great to have this opportunity to practice Ram Thai with the staff and wish for the development of Thailand and the happiness of the Thais.
“I hope that South Koreans will visit Thailand, with interest in Songkran and Thailand’s various cultures.”
To commemorate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Thailand, the embassy and the Korean Cultural Centre organized several events.
One of the events was an exhibition to promote the 2030 World Expo in Busan, while another was the opening ceremony of the Korea-Thailand Friendship Trail located in Khao Yai National Park. These events aimed to strengthen the friendship between the two countries and promote cultural exchange.
