2024-02-19 06:42:58
The presidential office of South Korea described this Thursday the reestablishment of its diplomatic relations with Cuba as “a significant political and psychological blow” that will “inevitably” affect communist North Korea, according to the AP agency. Closed tight this Friday, and with several posters of “dear comrade” Kim Jong-un on its fence, the North Korean Embassy in Havana seems to agree with him.
This same Friday, on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-il, the president Miguel Díaz-Canel sent, via X, an “affectionate greeting to the Party, Government and noble people of the DPRK.” And he added: “We reaffirm our historic relationship of friendship, solidarity and brotherhood.”
Meanwhile, neither the North Korean Foreign Ministry, which had just received the credentials of a new Cuban ambassador in Pyongyang, nor its Government have yet broken their silence on the approach of their rival to one of its few allies since the times of the Cold War. . AP assures that a “high-level official of the South Korean presidency” explained to the press that the rapprochement will affect the traditional “fraternal ties” with which Pyongyang describes its bond with the Island.
“The opening of diplomatic ties (with Cuba) is the culmination of our efforts to expand our diplomacy to nations that have been part of the socialist bloc”
The official – who spoke on condition of anonymity – reported that President Yoon Suk Yeol “has actively worked to establish relations with Cuba, but Cuba had qualms at first due to its proximity to North Korea.” The United States, he explained, was informed by Seoul “in advance” of the approach.
“The opening of diplomatic ties (with Cuba) is the culmination of our efforts to expand our diplomacy to nations that have been part of the socialist bloc, including countries that have been friendly to North Korea. It clearly shows where the mainstream is in the flow of history, and also who participates in that mainstream,” the official added.
This Wednesday, Seoul reestablished its diplomatic relations with Havana, broken since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. A brief statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry announced the “exchange of diplomatic notes” of both nations before the United Nations in New York.
“The establishment of official relations between both countries was carried out in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, International Law and in accordance with the spirit and standards established in the Vienna Convention on Foreign Relations. Diplomatic Orders of April 18, 1961,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The world press has described the event as a “historic step” between both countries. BBC recalled that Havana and Seoul had only enjoyed ten years of diplomatic relations, since 1949. The “communist bastion” that the Island became since Castro’s arrival made the country an ideal ally for the North in the region.
BBC interviewed a South Korean diplomat who, on condition of anonymity, revealed that Havana had come under pressure from the North Korean government, which tried to slow down the rapprochement, as well as from “senior Cuban leaders of the old guard,” who do not view favorably the reconnection.
“Cuba has a very great symbolic importance for North Korea because it is its base of operations in America, and that is why it has always pressured the Cuban government to stay away from Seoul,” he added. “It is a geographically strategic country, close to the United States, and positioning ourselves there is important in the long term.”
“It seems that there was some kind of commitment dating back to the time of Fidel Castro and Kim Il-sung not to take that step,” a former Cuban official, who also did not identify himself, told the BBC.
“It seems that there was some kind of commitment dating back to the time of Fidel Castro and Kim Il-sung not to take that step”
The North Korean Embassy in Havana, according to the British media, is the nerve center of North Korean diplomacy and espionage in the region, in addition to being the largest in the Americas. However, commercial and economic relations between both countries are “practically non-existent”, unlike what happens between Seoul and Havana.
In 2022, for example, according to data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, the country exported goods to Cuba worth 14 million dollars and imported goods worth seven million. In addition, the “daily life of the Island,” explains the BBC, is full of Korean equipment such as Samsung and LG phones, and Hyundai and Kia brand cars.
There was a stand South Korean at the Havana International Fair and Kotra – the state trade organization – has acted as an embassy on the Island, especially for economic exchanges. On the other hand, among young Cubans there are thousands of fans of Korean culture, who listen to their music and watch their soap operas. According to the BBC, the Korean fan club in the country exceeds 10,000 members.
Sangmi Han, a journalist with the BBC Korean Service, also offered her diagnosis: “The fact that Cuba, North Korea’s brother country, has established diplomatic relations with South Korea in extreme secrecy without Pyongyang knowing, will be a huge wound.” difficult for North Koreans to accept.
On the Island, on the other hand, confusion reigns over the change in the Foreign Ministry’s roadmap. In the advertisement, published in Cubadebate, dozens of readers gave their opinion on the approach. The stupor is summed up in one question: “North or South?”
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