President Lee Jae Myung on Oct. 16 talks in his first phone call with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. (Office of President)

By Koh Hyunjeong

President Le Jee Myung on Oct. 16 held his first phone call with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul since the latter's appointment, discussing bilateral cooperation for the early conclusion of their comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA).

In the call, President Lee said he prized his nation's ties with Thailand, a traditional ally that fought alongside Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War for peace and freedom, presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said.

Both leaders hailed the major development in their ties in sectors such as trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.

They agreed to deepen and advance their "strategic partnership" by pushing ahead with mutually beneficial cooperation in defense and setup of digital finance infrastructure.

To this end, the two leaders pledged cooperation to ensure the early conclusion of CEPA, for which negotiations are underway.

"I applaud Korean policy for easing tension and resuming inter-Korean dialogue such as the END (exchange, normalization and denuclearization) initiative," Prime Minister Anutin said. "I hope to meet at events related to APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and the APEC summit later this month.

hjkoh@korea.kr