By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

Cuba has appointed its first ambassador to South Korea, 11 months after the two countries established diplomatic relations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on July 7 that a ceremony was held at the Government Complex in Seoul, attended by Acting President Choi Sang-mok, to enact the credentials of ambassadors to South Korea, including the Cuban ambassador.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok accepted Letters of Credence from nine Ambassadors-Designate to the Republic of Korea at the Government Complex Seoul on Jan. 7, 2025.

The nine Ambassadors-Designate are: H.E. Antonio de Sa Benevides from the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. Paul Sobba Massaquoi from the Republic of Sierra Leone, H.E. Patricio Esteban Troya Suárez from the Republic of Ecuador, H.E. Diego Manuel Villanueva Martinelli from the Republic of Panama, H. E. Landry Mboumba from the Gabonese Republic, H.E. Dai Bing from the People's Republic of China, H.E. Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe from Nepal, H.E. Loukas Tsokos from the Hellenic Republic, and H.E. Claudio Raúl Monzón Baeza from the Republic of Cuba.

Ambassador Monsón Baeza submitted a copy of his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Tae-jin the previous day, and began his official activities in South Korea.

According to the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Seoul, Ambassador Monzón Baeza, who arrived in South Korea on Jan. 5, will focus on opening the embassy. The plan is to complete the opening in the first half of this year.

The two countries established diplomatic relations on Feb. 14 last year in New York, where the two countries' UN representatives exchanged diplomatic notes.

The nominee to serve as South Korea's ambassador to Cuba is also reportedly waiting for the Cuban government's approval of an agremant (prior consent for diplomatic missions). The government plans to open a Korean embassy in Cuba early this year.

The credentialing ceremony was held under an acting system amid the aftermath of the 'December 3 emergency martial law'. During the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, Hwang Kyo-ahn, then acting prime minister, accepted credentials from new ambassadors.

In diplomatic circles, the ceremony is considered a common diplomatic gesture and a normal event, even under an acting president. South Korea has customarily held the ceremony when there are five or so new ambassadors in the waiting list. The last credentialing ceremony attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol was in October last year, before he was suspended from office following the passage of an impeachment bill by the National Assembly.