The HUFS Department of Thai (Chair Shin Geun-Hye) and Department of Thai Interpretation and Translation (Chair Yoon Gyeong-Won) jointly hosted the Songkran Water Festival on the Seoul Campus on April 14, 2023 (Friday).

Founded in 1966, the Department of Thai has served as the nation’s cradle of Thai language and culture experts. It hosts the Thailand culture and arts festival and related competitions every year and has taken the lead in promoting Thai culture in Korea, thus contributing to greater mutual understanding and interest between the two nations. Celebrating the 65th anniversary of Korea-Thai diplomatic relations, the Thai Embassy in Korea made a 500,000 baht donation to the Department to help it open the Thai Cultural Corner, the first of its kind in Korea.

Held offline for the first time in four years due to COVID-19, the festival was co-hosted by the Thai M.L. Bounleua Foundation, Silapakorn University, and Thammasat University and sponsored by the HUFS Center for Critical Foreign Language Education (Director Lee Eun-Goo) to promote Thai language education at home and abroad.