On 14 February, the two delegations of the United States, New York, the Republic of Korea and Cuba, formally established diplomatic relations in the form of diplomatic documents, putting an end to the socialist revolution carried out by Cuba in 1959 and the aftermath of the "Cold War" of 65 years.
The ROK foreign minister said that the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba will contribute to the further development of the two sides in the economic and trade fields, which will create an institutional basis for South Korean enterprises to enter Cuba, thereby further promoting practical cooperation between the two sides. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, South Korea can provide consular assistance to nationals going to Cuba in a planned manner. The two sides will hold in-depth consultations on follow-up measures for the establishment of bilateral relations, such as the establishment of permanent diplomatic relations.
On the same day, Cuba issued a statement establishing diplomatic relations with the ROK, saying that the move was carried out in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Cuba established diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1949 and established diplomatic relations with South Korea**, making it the first country in Latin America to recognize South Korea. Cuba's post-war support to South Korea amounted to $279,000. However, after the "socialist" movement in Cuba in 1959, Cuba revoked its status as South Korea and established diplomatic relations with **, thus breaking off all contacts between the two sides.
Since then, South Korea's relations with Cuba, one of the few countries that refused to participate in the 1988 Seoul Olympics for the sake of unity, have been lukewarm. However, at the beginning of the 21 st century, relations between Cuba and the United States returned to normal, and the ROK's diplomatic activities in Central and South America were also strengthened.
Since the beginning of 25 years, the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, trade, culture, sports, and development have been continuously expanded, laying a solid foundation for the further development of relations between the two countries. In 2016, South Korea's Prime Minister Yoon Byung-seh made his first visit to Cuba to Havana, Cuba. Minister Kang Kyung of the Republic of Korea and Minister of the Republic of Korea visited Cuba for the second time since Raul Castro took office to attend the meeting of the Economic Council for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and Cuba is both a great breakthrough and a great achievement for the ROK. ROK Foreign Minister Cho Myung-gyun told the news conference that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the ROK is an important symbol of ROK's diplomacy and relations with Central and South America. The Republic of Korea is willing to continue to establish a good cooperative partnership with Cuba to work together for the maintenance of regional peace and development and to contribute to the denuclearization and peace process on the Korean peninsula.