Cuban President Visits North Korea in 2018 - Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel(left) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a November 2018 visit to Pyongyang. Cuba, the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere, had brotherly ties with North Korea as the two countries have shared a half-century of anti-American rhetoric. However, since the end of the rule of Castro brothers, who had strong ties to the Kim family, there are reports that bilateral exchanges and cooperation have not been the same. / Nodong Sinmun

South Korea established diplomatic relations with Cuba, one of North Korea’s Cold War-era allies, on Feb.15.

In New York, the two countries’ representatives to the United Nations exchanged diplomatic notes marking the establishment of formal diplomatic ties. Cuba is now the 193rd country which South Korea has diplomatic relations with. That leaves only one U.N. member state, Syria, with no diplomatic ties with Seoul.

Although Cuba officially recognized South Korea in 1949, bilateral exchanges were severed after a 1959 socialist revolution in Cuba. On the other hand, Cuba has maintained close ties with North Korea since they forged diplomatic relations in 1960. During the visit to North Korea, former leader Castro endorsed the founder of North Korea Kim Il-sung, saying, “There is only one Chosun.” A diplomatic source said, “At a time when North Korea is strengthening its ties with former communist states by working closely with Russia and China, our diplomacy has established diplomatic relations with Cuba, a North Korean ally. It is significant that we have turned an old friend of North Korea to our side.”

Seoul’s foreign ministry expressed expectations that “relations with Cuba will mark a crucial turning point in our efforts to strengthen diplomacy with Central and South America and further expand diplomatic horizons.” The ministry added, “The formal relations will establish an institutional foundation to expand bilateral economic cooperation and support South Korean businesses seeking to extend their business into Cuba. We also hope to provide organized consular representatives to our citizens visiting Cuba.”

Cuba sided with North Korea by boycotting the 1988 Seoul Olympics. For half a century, North Korea and Cuba, the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere, have maintained close brotherly ties. However, their relationship was not the same after the end of the rule of the Castro brothers, who had strong ties to the Kim family. The forging of the relations came as the South Korean government stepped up its diplomacy toward Cuba for years. The economic and cultural exchanges between South Korea and Cuba have steadily increased, adding to the momentum to establish formal relations.