North Korea’s new ambassador to Cuba has officially begun his duties, according to Cuba’s Presidential Office on Thursday, amid signs of strain in the two countries’ longtime partnership.
Han Su Chol presented his credentials on Thursday to Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
Valdés Mesa said that North Korea is a “sister nation” to Cuba, with which Cuba “shares a long history of struggle against imperialism, our common enemy.”
“[North] Korea will always be able to count on Cuba,” the Cuban vice president told Han, according to the country’s presidential office.
In response, Han pledged to strengthen bilateral relations, vowing to “work actively to strengthen and expand cooperation in all areas” as he commences his role in Havana.
The two countries have maintained friendly diplomatic relations since 1960, with their bond rooted in the relationship fostered by their former leaders, Fidel Castro and Kim Il Sung.
However, Cuba’s surprise move to establish formal diplomatic ties with South Korea in February set back relations with North Korea. While Pyongyang has not publicly commented on this development, the country has expressed its displeasure.
In March, Han’s predecessor, Ma Chol Su, left Cuba after serving for five years. Experts interpreted his departure as a potential “punishment” for failing to prevent Cuba’s rapprochement with South Korea, or as a deliberate “downgrade of the post.”
Showing further signs of straining ties, North Korean state media notably omitted any mention of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s congratulatory message he sent to the DPRK on Kim Il Sung’s birthday in April. This silence was particularly striking given that state media featured congratulatory messages from other world leaders.
The situation was further exacerbated in August when Ri Il Gyu, a North Korean “political counselor” at the embassy in Cuba, defected to South Korea after serving in the Caribbean country for nine years.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies, told NK News that while North Korea may have “felt betrayed by Cuba’s establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea, it seems that both countries placed greater importance on preserving their political and ideological bonds, leading to a restoration of relations.”
“Cuba may have refocused on improving relations with North Korea after anticipated economic ties with South Korea failed to materialize,” Lim said, noting that U.S.-led sanctions likely hindered Cuba’s ability to engage in economic cooperation with the ROK.
Edited by Alannah Hill
North Korea’s new ambassador to Cuba has officially begun his duties, according to Cuba's Presidential Office on Thursday, amid signs of strain in the two countries’ longtime partnership.
Han Su Chol presented his credentials on Thursday to Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.