[韓-쿠바 수교]
Negotiations to establish diplomatic relations between Korea and Cuba were like ‘Operation 007’
Last year, three high-ranking officials were contacted privately… Cuba fears opposition to ‘brother country’ from North Korea
Pressure: “I will hold you accountable when it is disclosed to the outside world”… Korea and the U.S. were informed only on the day of diplomatic relations.
“Let’s establish diplomatic relations.”
On the 5th of this month (local time), Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk of the Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York received a call. The sender is the Deputy Ambassador of the Cuban Permanent Mission to the United Nations. He said, “I want meaningful exchanges with Korea,” and even proposed a specific way to establish diplomatic relations, such as exchanging diplomatic notes between the two countries’ missions to the United Nations. Last year, we intensively conveyed our intention to establish diplomatic ties, but Cuba refused, saying, “There are other considerations,” as if conscious of North Korea, our “brother country,” so the sudden phone call surprised our authorities.
A high-ranking government source who was familiar with the situation at the time said, “Since the second half of last year, Cuba’s attitude toward establishing diplomatic relations has been slightly opening up, so there was an expectation that negotiations for establishing diplomatic relations could progress,” but added, “There was excitement even within the delegation at the surprise proposal to establish diplomatic relations earlier than expected.” “There was a feeling of confusion,” he said.
The government has been intensively persuading the establishment of diplomatic ties, with then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin meeting privately with high-ranking Cuban figures three times last year, including the Cuban Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala in May and the Cuban Foreign Minister at the United Nations General Assembly in September. It is said that the Korean Ambassador to Mexico also visited Cuba privately and discussed with officials, and that working-level officials at the bureau and department heads contacted the Cuban side several times.
It is said that the Cuban authorities strongly requested ‘low-key’ contact with the Korean government several times during the secret diplomatic negotiations, saying, “This should never be disclosed to the outside world.” Another government source said, “We put pressure on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold them accountable if a related article was published in Korea,” adding, “For this reason, we focused our efforts on maintaining security during our contacts in New York. “Even within the Korean mission to the United Nations, only a very small number of people shared the details of the negotiations to establish diplomatic relations,” he said. The government believes that this was because Cuba was concerned about opposition and sabotage from North Korea, with which it had maintained a close friendly relationship for 64 years. A high-ranking official in the Presidential Office explained, “The reason Cuba did not readily accept (establishing diplomatic relations) even though it had a favorable view of Korea was because of its relationship with North Korea, a friendly and brother country with which it has had a very close relationship for a long time.”
Accordingly, the exchange of diplomatic notes to establish diplomatic relations between Korea and Cuba was conducted privately at the UN mission in New York, not in Korea or Cuba. It is known that the government notified the U.S. of this fact only on the 14th, the day of diplomatic relations. It is said that the government was notified only a few hours before announcing the establishment of diplomatic relations that night. In a briefing on the 15th, Director of the National Security Office Jang Ho-jin evaluated the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as “the completion of diplomacy against socialist blocs that were friendly countries to North Korea in the past, including Eastern European countries.”
On the 5th, the Cuban ambassador to the UN called to say, “Let’s establish diplomatic relations”… Only three people, including Korean Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk, shared the content.
尹, received report on the final agreement for the Lunar New Year holiday and approved… On the 14th, diplomatic relations were suddenly established through the exchange of diplomatic officials.
“It seemed like if I messed up once, the Cuban authorities would immediately turn their backs on me.”
A high-ranking government source reported this on the 15th, referring to the secret negotiation process leading up to the sudden establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba on the night of the 14th. It is said that Cuba strongly requested that the negotiations not be made public even before the establishment of diplomatic relations. It appears that they were concerned about the strong opposition and sabotage from North Korea, a ‘brother country’, that would follow if it became known. This source complained, “The security maintenance process, which was carried out like Operation 007, was as difficult as the negotiations themselves.”
Meetings between the two countries continued last year under tight security, but Cuba is said to have not given a satisfactory signal regarding our proposal to establish diplomatic relations. Then, on the 5th (local time), the Deputy Chief Ambassador of the Cuban Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York called Hwang Jun-guk, Ambassador of the Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and suggested, “Let’s establish diplomatic relations.”
Afterwards, our authorities communicated closely with the Cuban side and agreed on when to exchange diplomatic notes for the establishment of diplomatic relations and at what time and minute to announce the establishment of diplomatic relations. Then, on the 14th, nine days after Cuba first announced its intention to establish diplomatic relations, diplomatic relations were suddenly established.
The location of diplomatic ties was not Korea, Cuba, or a third country, but New York, where the UN missions of both countries were located. Ambassador Hwang and Cuban Ambassador Gerardo Penalver Portal exchanged diplomatic notes. Prior to that, President Yoon Seok-yeol received a report on the results of the final agreement with Cuba during the Lunar New Year holiday and approved it.
It is said that the Cuban side made a proposal to conduct not only negotiations for establishing diplomatic relations but also the final signing at the United Nations Mission in New York. This appears to be because Havana, the capital of Cuba, was judged to be an appropriate location to quickly proceed with the normalization process as it is possible to connect directly with the national delegation. There is a high possibility that the UN mission thought it was good for maintaining security. There is also a North Korean representative office in New York. However, rather than meeting secretly in a third country and having their movements awkwardly exposed, it appears that they decided that negotiating in New York, where each country’s representatives naturally meet, would be the best place to avoid suspicion on the North Korean side.
Korea severed its exchanges with Cuba after the advent of Fidel Castro’s communist regime in 1959. The first attempt to establish diplomatic ties with Cuba took place around 2014. Even after constant knocks on the door, Cuba’s response did not change much. A government official said, “The Cuban side has always avoided answering by saying, ‘If you talk about it, we will listen, but it is difficult to give an answer.’”
The Yoon Seok-yeol government also actively sought to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba after its inauguration. It is said that it was early last year that the Cuban authorities responded, “Let’s meet in person first.” Intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations continued in the second half of last year. A senior official in the Presidential Office said, “Last year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs contacted high-ranking Cuban officials three times.”
However, despite these behind-the-scenes contacts, Cuba is said to have maintained an attitude that it would be difficult for the immediate future to respond to the proposal to establish diplomatic ties by saying, “There are other matters to consider.” Then, on the 5th, they changed their stance and suddenly proposed diplomatic relations to our side. Afterwards, the two countries continued in-depth negotiations to establish diplomatic relations, and security was further strengthened. It is said that only three people, including Ambassador Hwang, shared the contents within the Korean Mission to the United Nations. In particular, the Cuban side is said to have been concerned that the content would be leaked through the Korean media every time it communicated with the Korean side. A government source also said, “Relevant officials were cautious about using security phones until diplomatic relations were established.”
The establishment of diplomatic relations was officially announced on the night of the 14th, but prior to that, an embargo was placed and no prior materials were provided. It is also known that this is because the Cuban side was cautious until just before the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Severe economic difficulties are believed to be a decisive factor in why Cuba, known as a ‘brother country’ with North Korea, suddenly reached out to South Korea despite expecting strong opposition from North Korea.
Although the rule of the Castro brothers, the leading figures of the revolution, officially ended in 2018 and President Miguel Diaz-Canel took the center of power, Cuba’s economic difficulties remain. A government official said, “As we saw no solution to the economic crisis domestically, we looked outside, and Korea caught our eye.” He added, “I was surprised that the Cuban officials we met last year were familiar with our automobile and heavy industry industries.”
Government sources believe that Cuba decided to establish diplomatic ties with Korea, with which it can cooperate economically, with the possibility that the level of U.S. sanctions would increase again if former President Donald Trump returns to power in the U.S. presidential election in November. Cuba’s relationship with the United States improved during the Barack Obama administration and recorded economic growth of 4% in 2015, but relations between the two countries deteriorated again during former President Trump’s administration.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.