Outgoing Thai Ambassador Chaiyong Satjipanon has donated $100,000 to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies from money given to him as condolences for his wife’s death.

Poongsan Corporation, which has interests in Thailand, gave the ambassador the money to console him for the death of his wife Thitinart Satjipanon.

She died last September at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul, three days after being admitted to the international clinic there because of intense abdominal pains.

Satjipanon had originally filed criminal complaints against the hospital both in Korea and Thailand, accusing them of negligence.

But the hospital said that all charges made against it by the ambassador had been dropped. Yongsan Police Office said that it would still carry out an investigation of the case and were awaiting results of an autopsy.

Satjipanon reportedly said before he departed for a new post in America last week that he would not call anyone to account for the incident. The Thai Embassy refused to comment on the case.

He donated the money from Poongsan to HUFS because of its Thai language department. The money will be used for four student scholarships a year in a bid to strengthen Korean-Thai relations.

Satjipanon left to become Thai Ambassador to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. New Thai Ambassador Kittiphong Na Ranong, who was formally his country’s chief envoy to the U.S., arrived here on April 10.

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)