North Korea-Japan Negotiations, South Korea and Cuba Diplomatic Relations ‘Kishida Visits North Korea’ South Korean Government ‘Secretly Establish Diplomatic Relations Without North Korea’s Secret’
Cuba's establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea was revealed as a cross-cutting strategy in the negotiations to establish diplomatic relations between North Korea and Japan, and North Korea announced that Kishida could visit North Korea, but the South Korean government announced that it had 'ignored North Korea and established secret diplomatic relations with Cuba.'
Kim Yo-jong, vice-minister of the North Korean Workers' Party, said in a public statement on the Chosun Shinbo on the 15th, "If Prime Minister Kishida's remarks (remarks in parliament) are based on his sincere intention to boldly break away from the restraints of the past and advance the DPRK-Japan relationship, there is no reason why they cannot be evaluated as positive." “If Japan courageously puts aside its anachronistic sense of hostility and unrealizable obsession and makes a political decision to open a new way to improve relations through respectful behavior and faithful actions on the basis of mutual recognition, how much will the two countries be able to achieve?” “My view is that we can open a new future together,” he said through ‘negotiations to establish diplomatic ties.’
On the 14th, Korea and Cuba announced the establishment of official diplomatic relations in New York, USA, through the exchange of diplomatic notes between the two countries' UN missions.
The establishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba occurred on the 7th when the Cuban ambassador to the United Nations suddenly called the Korean ambassador to Korea and proposed 'establishment of diplomatic relations' when they met the next day. On the 9th, Prime Minister Kisada presented a 'response to the North Korea-Japan summit' in the National Assembly, North Korea excluding South Korea - Shows Japan-Cuba strategy.
AP said, “A senior presidential office official met with reporters and said that North Korea has traditionally described Cuban relations as ‘brotherly relations,’ and that opening diplomatic relations between Seoul and Havana ‘will inevitably inflict a significant political and psychological blow’ on North Korea.” “He said,” it was reported on the 15th.
‘Newsis’ reported, “Discussions on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries have been conducted under extreme security. Although the government has continued to work behind the scenes to improve relations with Cuba, the progress of discussions is unknown. “It is an observation that Cuba, which was a valuable diplomatic partner of North Korea, would have been sensitive to disclosing discussions on establishing diplomatic ties with South Korea,” it was reported on the 15th.
A senior government official told Yonhap News on this day, "Since President Yoon Seok-yeol took office, we have been continuously working behind the scenes to establish diplomatic relations. Since North Korea has been interfering with diplomatic relations for decades, it made this announcement so quickly."
A high-ranking official continued, “As Cuba was thirsty for economic cooperation and cultural exchanges with our country, it appears that it wanted to establish diplomatic relations with our country without informing North Korea.”
Regarding Vice Minister Kim's statement, the Korean Central News Agency said, "If Japan shakes off its evil habit of unfairly interfering with our right to self-defense and does not place the already resolved kidnapping issue as an obstacle to the prospects for bilateral relations, there will be no reason why the two countries cannot become closer." “There may come a day when Prime Minister (Kishida) visits Pyongyang,” he said.
Vice Minister Kim continued, “As far as I know, our (North Korea) national leadership does not have any plans to improve North Korea-Japan relations and has no interest in contact.”
Earlier on the 9th, in response to a question about ‘promoting the North Korea-Japan summit’ at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Kishida said, “We are carrying out a number of specific activities. He disclosed the progress of the summit, saying, “That is the situation,” but the Korean media and government did not disclose this.
KBS said, “Korea requested the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2000, but there was no concrete progress. Full-fledged contact began last year, and in September, the UN General Assembly and the foreign ministers of both countries negotiated in secret,” he said. “After last-minute coordination until this Lunar New Year holiday in New York, where the UN mission is located, a plan to establish diplomatic ties was approved under extreme security at the Cabinet meeting on the 13th.” It was reported on the same day that, conscious of North Korea's backlash, the entire process was kept in complete secrecy and only a minimum number of people were involved." A senior government official told KBS, "Cuba made a decision," and "we negotiated secretly and quickly so that North Korea did not know."
A senior official in the President's Office told KBS, "This is the culmination of diplomacy with socialist blocs that had friendly relations with North Korea, including Eastern Bloc countries in the past," and that "a significant political and psychological blow to North Korea will be inevitable."
Yomiuri reported on the 15th that “Prime Minister Kishida was likely to visit Pyongyang if Japan did not turn the kidnapping issue into a problem between the two countries.”
Reuters reported, “Korea Central News Agency reported that the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said there were no obstacles to close relations with Japan and that the day could come when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Pyongyang,” adding, “There is no formal diplomatic relationship with North Korea.” “Prime Minister Kishida, who has not signed an agreement, said on the 15th that he is exploring the possibility of meeting with the North Korean leader to resolve the issue of Japanese civilians kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s.”
Reuters reported on Kim Yo-jong, “Kim Yo-jong is widely seen as her brother’s closest confidant and advisor on foreign policy issues.”
See <US-Japan Leaders, North Korea-Japan Summit North Korea-Japan Negotiation Agreement, April 29, 2019><Resumption of diplomatic relations negotiations with North Korea collectivism and Japan unionism, September 19, 2019>
<Seok-Yeol Yoon ‘Japan allows negotiations with North Korea’ Kishida excludes ‘conscription’ ‘Personal health experience’, May 27, 2023>
<Yoon Seok-yeol’s mistake of allowing North Korea-Japan summit between North Korea and North Korea to ‘transform into a Pacific nation’, dated August 20, 2023>
<Progress in North Korea-Japan Negotiations, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un’s ‘Excellence’ to Prime Minister Kishida, January 6, 2024>