The friendship between Thailand and the Republic of Korea predates the official establishment of diplomatic ties. In the late 14th century, Siamese envoys were granted an audience by King Gongyang of the Koryo Kingdom. However, due to the difficulty of travelling from Siam to Koryo by sea, it was only when the United Nations requested the Government of Thailand to send her troops to fight in the Korean War (1950-1953) that the two countries made contact again.