Out of 196 states in the world, there are four that Korea does not have diplomatic relations with ― Macedonia, Syria, Kosovo and Cuba. It seems that the number will go down to three soon: Re-establishing Seoul-Havana diplomatic ties is steadily becoming a reality.

It was in 1905 that the first ship of immigrants sailed from Incheon to Mexico with 1,033 Koreans on board looking for a new life on board, 200 of whom were soldiers from the disbanded army of Joseon. What awaited for them in the Central American state was hard labor at sugar cane plantations for 35 cents per day. 

“Henequen,” as the poor laborers were called, were just desperate to find a way to survive at the turn of the century. When their initial contracts were up, some of the early settlers in Mexico then moved to a nearby Caribbean state in search of better working conditions. So, in 1921, 280 people came to a small port of Manati in Cuba, starting the lives of “Coreanos en Cuba.”

Records show these Korean-Cubans financially supported the independence movement in Korea until 1945. The Korea-Cuba relations after the 1948 establishment of the Republic of Korea had also been largely amicable until the severance of diplomatic ties in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution. Cuba even provided $3 million to South Korea during the Korean War.

Since the severance of the diplomatic ties in 1960, however, Cuba has been one of the closest allies of North Korea. Through ups and downs including the disintegration of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Pyongyang and Havana have remained close at a time when each side had few friends.

The news that the United States and Cuba have just agreed to restore relations by opening official diplomatic missions in each other’s capitals on July 20 is also raising the possibility of re-establishing the diplomatic ties between Korea and Cuba.

In fact, de facto rapprochement between Cuba and South Korea has been there for some time. South Korean exports to Cuba currently stand at around $70 million annually, and South Korea is now Cuba’s third-largest trading partner in Asia after China and Vietnam.

Not surprisingly, Korean dramas have become popular in this Caribbean island state, and interest in Korean culture has been rising. The growing interest is mutual: Just last year 5,000 Korean tourists visited Cuba through various routes, and Cuban volleyball players have dominated the Korean professional volleyball league. While the Korean Embassy in Mexico deals with consular issues for Koreans in Cuba and the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has been promoting business ties between the corporations of the two countries since 2005, the absence of official ties has inherent limitations.

While the close relationship with North Korea has certainly made Havana hesitant to accelerate the pace of normalization of ties with South Korea, now Seoul and Havana have reached the point where the increasing economic and cultural exchanges require that the bilateral relationship is finally made official.

The unexpected U.S.-Cuba reconciliation is setting the stage for Korea and Cuba to achieve this long-delayed goal. Hopes are indeed high that the two countries will be able to announce the re-establishment of diplomatic relations sometime soon.

This will make these two countries, nearly 13,000 kilometers apart, close friends again after 53 years, with more exchanges and visits to come. The time is finally upon us.

Lee Jae-min is an associate professor of law at Seoul National University. ― Ed.