[1] In the 1990s and 2000s, North Korea's bid to join the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) gained the initial support of Thailand.

North Korea had first expressed its desire to join the organisation in 1993, which was reaffirmed by its Vice Foreign Minister Choi Woo-jin visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in 1995.

This was supported by the Philippines, who together with Thailand and Cambodia initiated separate meetings with North Korea on the matter at the 2000 Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana.

Both Thailand and the Philippines' support for North Korean ascension was motivated predominately by a desire to restore credibility to the organisation following the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

In particular, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Prayut government to crack down on North Korean front businesses operating in the country.

On 9 August 2017, Prime-Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha responded by reiterating that Thailand has followed all obligations on North Korea set forth by the United Nations.

[6] Prayut subsequently said that on 12 December 2017 that no trade takes place between the two countries as a result of greater pressure from the United States.

On the other hand, he said North Korea exported to Thailand mainly chemicals, electrical machinery, gold, iron, seafood, and steel.

In 2024, a report by the Panel of Experts of the UN 1718 Sanctions Committee listed North Korean spy Nam Chol Ung as having run offices in Thailand and Laos to evade sanctions, and using Thailand as a point to smuggle oil to North Korea.

According to Jim Kelman of Meridian International Center, most of the money earned from these restaurants are sent back to North Korea, with these businesses likely also being used launder illegal funds.