Miami, United States. – The Vice Minister of Foreign Relations of the Cuban regime Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, He received this Tuesday the style copies of Lee Ho-Yuldesignated ambassador of the Republic of Korea, at the headquarters of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
Style copies are formal documents that a designated ambassador presents before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where it has been accredited. This procedure is a protocol step prior to the official delivery of its credentials to the Head of State, an act with which its diplomatic representation is fully formalized.
Lee Ho-Yul had worked as a minister at the South Korean embassy against Mexico.
“Lee, who has experience in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and in the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA), has the mission of promoting economic cooperation between the two countries,” according to the agency KBS.
The diplomat, in addition to being an expert in commercial matters, has served as general director of the Office of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The South Korean embassy is located in the Havana Barrio de Miramar, far from the diplomatic headquarters of Pyongyang, which occupies a more mansion east of the capital, in El Vedado.
Diplomatic relations between the Cuban and South Korean regime were restored on February 14, 2024. They had been suspended in 1959 for the political and ideological approach between the dictatorships of Cuba and North Korea.
According to the minrex“The establishment of official relations between the two countries was carried out in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, International Law and in accordance with the Spirit and the norms established in the Vienna Convention for the Diplomatic relations of April 18, 1961 ”.
Already in 2016, Havana and Seoul had taken a step in the normalization of their relationships, when the cameras of trade of both nations signed a memorandum of understanding to share information related to business, carry out exchanges between their delegations and organize joint forums, According to the EFE news agency.
Havana and Seoul: closer than ever?
According to A Latin Press Reportthe Agency for the Promotion of Commerce and Investment of South Korea (Kotra) reaffirmed its intention to strengthen economic cooperation with Cuba, focusing on official development aid.
In a joint statement cited by the Latin press, Kotra would have recognized the difficulties facing bilateral trade between the island and the Asian country due to the economic and financial sanctions imposed by the United States to the Havana regime.
However, since the 1990s, South Korea has exported products such as vehicles, appliances and tires through indirect trade through agents in third countries.
Surcorean exports to Cuba experienced a significant increase between 2009 and 2014, highlighting the shipments of maintenance equipment for Hyundai generators, as well as vehicles and appliances. However, bilateral trade suffered a setback after the investiture of the first Donald Trump government in 2018, after a sustained growth during the diplomatic approach between the governments of Cuba and the United States in the administration of Barack Obama.
Since 1996, South Korean companies have participated in the Havana International Fair, and in 2005 a Kotra office was opened in the Cuban capital, with the aim of promoting economic and commercial relations.
