(VOVworld) – South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez for the first time on Sunday in Havana.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, left, meets with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez at the Palacio de Convenciones in Havana, Cuba, Sunday (Photo: Yonhap)

The two sides exchanged their viewpoints on bilateral, regional, and global issues.  At a press conference following the meeting, Minister Yun Byung-se did not mention the normalization of bilateral relations between Cuba and South Korea. He was positive that follow-up negotiations at various levels will be held “under a vision for the future”. At another meeting on Sunday with the Korean community in Cuba, Minister Yun pledged his efforts to improve South Korea – Cuba relations, adding that Seoul and Havana will enhance cooperation in culture and economics.

Cuba and South Korea’s relations had been cut off since Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959. The US’s normalization of diplomatic ties with Cuba last year led to expectation that South Korea could also establish diplomatic relations with Cuba in the coming time.