Cuba's new ambassador to North Korea has arrived in Pyongyang to begin his duties, amid increased diplomatic activity from countries with friendly relations with Pyongyang since the Northeast Asian nation reopened its borders after the Covid-19 pandemic.
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| Cuban Ambassador Luis Garcia Correa (left) presents his credentials to Choe Ryong-hae, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, on February 1. (Source: KCNA/Yonhap) |
Yonhap, citing information from the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 1, reported that Ambassador Eduardo Luis Garcia Correa handed over the credentials of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to the leader of the Northeast Asian nation, Kim Jong-un.
North Korea and Cuba have long maintained close ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 1960.
According to Yonhap , most diplomatic missions in Pyongyang closed due to Covid-19 in early 2020.
Cuba became the third country to send an ambassador to North Korea and present credentials since last year, following China and Mongolia, when Pyongyang partially reopened its borders.
Nicaragua is planning to open an embassy in North Korea soon.
Meanwhile, since the latter half of last year, North Korea has closed nine diplomatic missions abroad. The total number of North Korean diplomatic missions abroad as of January 30th was 44.
Regarding the situation in North Korea, on the same day, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Vipin Narang revealed that Washington is monitoring the possibility of Pyongyang conducting a seventh nuclear test, while also cooperating with Seoul to "effectively" manage tensions along the inter-Korean border.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Narang emphasized that the U.S., along with South Korea, is "ready and prepared for all eventualities" amid the increasingly serious military threat.
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