South Korea and Cuba Establish Diplomatic Relations
No Direct Flights Between the Two Countries
Visiting Cuba Challenging Due to US Visit Restrictions
Although South Korea and Cuba have established diplomatic relations, there are still no direct flights between the two countries, and obstacles remain, so it is expected to take some time before tourism can be revitalized.
According to the travel industry on the 15th, major domestic travel agencies currently do not operate package tours that visit Cuba alone. For tourism to be activated, flights connecting the two countries are important, but there are still no direct flights between South Korea and Cuba.
Travel YouTuber KwakTube appeared on a broadcast last November and said, "These days, it's easy to go to the United States, but we have to do an interview," expressing frustration that after traveling to Cuba, one must go through a tedious process including an interview at the U.S. Embassy to obtain a U.S. visa. Photo by MBC variety show Omniscient Interfering View
Domestic travel agencies used to sell Cuba travel packages, but have not resumed sales since the suspension of travel product sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19, it was known that about 14,000 South Koreans visited Cuba annually.
The fact that having a history of entry into Cuba restricts visa-free entry to the United States can act as an obstacle to tourism activation between the two countries. The U.S. government has designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, and since January 2021, people who have visited Cuba may be denied entry to the U.S. through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
Those who have visited Cuba must go through an interview and other procedures to obtain a visa, which takes more time and cost compared to visa-free entry. Recently, travel YouTuber GwakTube expressed difficulties in a broadcast, saying that after traveling to Cuba, one must go through an interview process at the U.S. Embassy to obtain a visa in order to go to the United States.
Meanwhile, on the 14th (local time), South Korea and Cuba officially established diplomatic relations through an exchange of diplomatic notes between their respective United Nations missions. Cuba is a communist country and is called a "brother country" of North Korea. It has never had official diplomatic relations with South Korea. The Presidential Office evaluated, "This establishment of diplomatic relations is the final chapter of diplomacy toward the socialist bloc, including former Eastern Bloc countries and North Korea's friendly countries."
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