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[WEEKLY FOCUS] S. Korea, Cuba forging diplomatic relations expected to isolate N. Korea on world stage 한국, '북한 형제국' 쿠바와 수교 북한 압박 효과 강할 듯 In a surprise announcement on Wednesday night, South Korea said it had formed diplomatic relations with Cuba, a long-time ally of North Korea. This is not the best news for the North, as the newly forged relations will further ostracize the regime on the world stage. For more, we have our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji in the studio. Welcome Eun-ji. Thanks for having me. South Korea had long pursued adding Cuba to its diplomatic list, and finally, they've made it official. What significance does that carry? Well, it has a lot more meaning than simply adding another country to the list. Seoul's foreign ministry even said it marks a “crucial turning point“ for South Korea. “The establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, the only country in the Central American and Caribbean region with which we did not have diplomatic ties, is expected to serve as an important turning point in our efforts to strengthen diplomacy in the Latin American region.“ As we just heard, the communist-run island was the only country in Latin America that did not have diplomatic relations with South Korea. Bilateral exchanges had been cut off after Fidel Castro seized power in a 1959 revolution. For the past 20 years, the South Korean government has worked on improving relations with Cuba. Growing popularity of Korean culture such as K-pop and K-dramas in Cuba in recent years, also added momentum eventually leading to formal diplomatic ties. Among the UN member states, Syria is now left as the only country that does not have diplomatic ties with South Korea. Cuba and North Korea have come a long way together in fact, going back as far as the Cold War. So the announcement must have been a shock for the North. How is the North expected to react and accept the news? Cuba has been, and continues to be, one of North Korea's closest allies. North Korea established diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1960, and Cuba still has an embassy in Pyongyang. With South Korea and Cuba agreeing to open diplomatic relations, the North is expected to become more isolated on the global stage. In fact, a senior official from the presidential office told reporters on Thursday that North Korea will inevitably face a “political and psychological blow,“ as a result of the establishment. Right and I hear the announcement had been kept secret until the very last minute. They even decided on the exact hour and minute when to make the deal public. That's right. The Yoon administration appears to have pushed ahead with the process in a low-key manner for the past two years, considering Cuba's close relationship with North Korea. Only a very few relevant officials were aware that the diplomatic relations would be newly established, and this was not disclosed to other authorities or to the media in advance, to prevent North Korea from interrupting. What does South Korea hope to achieve from its improved relations with Cuba? First, the country hopes to expand economic cooperation with Cuba. Seoul's foreign ministry said the new diplomatic ties are expected to help support Korean companies to do business in Cuba. As of 2022, the trade volume between the two countries amounted to approximately 14 million dollars in exports and 7 million in imports. Also, Seoul aims to provide consular assistance to Koreans visiting Cuba,.. making it easier to obtain visas. Around 14-thousand Koreans visited Cuba annually, before the pandemic. And there are about a thousand people descended from Koreans who moved to Mexico in 1921, during Japan's colonial rule, currently living in Cuba. The South Korean government plans to further discuss follow-up measures with the Cuban government, such as the issue of building an embassy there. Right. I can clearly see that this marks a significant milestone in South Korea's relations with Cuba. Thank you for the wrap-up, Eun-ji. My pleasure. #SouthKorea #Cuba #Diplomacy #Diplomatic_relation #대한민국 #쿠바 #수교 #외교 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-02-17, 12:00 (KST)
