South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Sunday expressed hopes of expanding diplomatic, cultural and economic exchanges with Cuba, after holding landmark first foreign ministerial talks between the two countries.

“We shared our opinions on issues ranging from bilateral, regional and global ones. I hope there will be continued exchanges on various levels along with a broad range of follow-up discussions,” Yun told reporters in a joint press interview, after meeting his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in a closed-door meeting at the government-owned Palacio de Convenciones in Havana.

Yun touched down in the country’s capital Saturday to attend a summit of the Association of Caribbean States as part of his two-day stay. His visit was part of efforts to normalize the hardly existent relations between the two countries, a goal he first revealed at the National Assembly in February last year. 

South Korea and Cuba have yet to forge diplomatic ties after relations were severed in light of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro taking power in 1959. Economic exchanges between the two countries have also been small. A vice minister and officials of lower levels from Seoul have visited Cuba since then.

The bilateral talks were to be held for 30 minutes, but instead lasted for 75 minutes, a point Yun emphasized. Seoul’s top diplomat said the “exceptionally long and frank talks,” along with the hospitality shown by Havana, demonstrated the closeness developing between the two countries. 

Citing Neil Armstrong’s famed quote on when he first stepped on the moon, the South Korean minister said he wished his visit would be a milestone that would pave the way for the relationship between the two countries.

While visiting Cubans of Korean descent, Yun urged them to act as “a bridge between citizens of the two countries via cultural exchange. Currently there are over 1,100 such Korean-Cubans living there. 

He also expressed his hopes that the visit would touch off growing interest in Cuba among Koreans, and that Korean enterprises would expand their business in the country.

Yun, however, did not comment on the Cuban government’s reaction to his proposal on building ties, although diplomatic sources said that Havana officials “expressed delight” to his comments on the significance of the visit.

The South Korean minister’s visit is believed to be part of the nation’s efforts to establish stronger ties with countries that have been close to North Korea, including Iran and Uganda. On the heels of South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s visit, Kampala announced the suspension of security and military cooperation with the North.

Although Seoul’s first offer for diplomatic ties with Cuba came in 1997, Havana has maintained much closer relations with Pyongyang, with embassies in each other’s capitals maintaining diplomatic ties since 1960.

Last month, Kim Yong-chol, the vice chairman of the central committee of Pyongyang’s ruling Workers’ Party, visited Cuban leader Raul Castro to boost relations between the two countries. During the visit, Castro told Kim that it is the “firm stand of the party (Communist Party of Cuba) and (the) government of Cuba to further develop friendly and cooperative relations with North Korea.”

Observers say improved ties between Seoul and Havana is likely to deal a severe symbolic blow to the North and its Kim Jong-un regime.

By Yoon Min-sik and Joint Press Corps (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)