South Korea opens diplomatic ties with North’s pal Cuba

SEOUL: South Korea’s presidential office claimed Thursday that country’s move to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba would deal a “political and psychological blow” to South’s war-divided rival North Korea, whose diplomatic footing is largely dependent on a small number of Cold War allies. South Korea on Wednesday said it has agreed to open ambassador-level ties with Cuba following a meeting between their UN representatives in New York.Seoul and Havana first established diplomatic ties in 1949, but they were ruptured a decade later when Fidel Castro seized power during the Cuban Revolution. Cuba then turned to fellow communist nation North Korea. Cuba has maintained ties with North Korea since 1960s and has an embassy in Pyongyang.