Cuba reestablishes relations with South Korea broken by Fidel Castro in 1960

This Wednesday, Cuba reestablished diplomatic relations with South Korea, broken by Fidel Castro in 1960.

Through a brief statement the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba reported that this February 14 "diplomatic and consular relations were established between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Korea."

The protocol was made "through an exchange of Diplomatic Notes carried out between the Permanent Representations of both countries to the United Nations, in New York," the information highlights.

For his part, in a simultaneous and very similar note the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea reported the reestablishment of relations with the Caribbean island.

"Cuba became the 193rd diplomatic partner of South Korea," the South Korean authorities stressed.

"The establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, the only country in the Latin American and Caribbean region with which South Korea has not established diplomatic relations, is an important turning point in the strengthening of our Latin American public diplomacy and is expected that contributes to further expanding our diplomatic horizons as a global pivot country," the ministry said.

"The establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba is expected to contribute to expanding practical cooperation between the two countries, laying the institutional foundation for expanding bilateral economic cooperation and supporting the entry of Korean companies in Cuba, and is also expected to provide consular assistance to Korean citizens who visit Cuba," he said.

The local press recalled, however, that "Cuba is an old friend of North Korea, with which it established diplomatic relations in 1960, so diplomatic ties are expected to have a significant impact."

"Cuba, often called the "brother country of North Korea," established official diplomatic relations with South Korea shortly after the establishment of the South Korean government in 1948, but severed ties in 1960, when it established diplomatic relations with North Korea after that the Cuban Revolution brought Fidel Castro to power," they reported.

A South Korean official commented that in 2018, the current Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel visited North Korea and held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"It is difficult to say how this will affect relations between Cuba and North Korea", he expressed.

In May of last year Cuba received for the first time flights from South Korea operated by the company Air Premia, based in Seoul.