The inaugural Cuban Ambassador to South Korea, Claudio Monzon Baeza, has officially begun his duties in Seoul.
Monzon was one of nine new resident ambassadors to South Korea who presented their credentials to acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday afternoon at the government complex in Seoul.
Monzon’s swearing-in comes approximately 11 months after Seoul and Havana established diplomatic relations in February last year.
South Korea and Cuba initially set the goal of establishing and opening embassies in each other's capitals by the end of the last year, but the process has been delayed.
The spokesperson for Seoul's Foreign Ministry Lee Jae-woong said Seoul is “providing the necessary support to ensure that the process of establishing the Cuban Embassy in Korea proceeds smoothly” during a press briefing Tuesday.
The new ambassadors who officially presented their credentials Tuesday include Ambassador Antonio de Sa Benevides of Timor-Leste, Ambassador Paul Sobba Massaquoi of Sierra Leone, Ambassador Patricio Esteban Troya Suarez of Ecuador, Ambassador Diego Manuel Villanueva Martinelli of Panama, Ambassador Landry Mboumba of Gabon, Ambassador Dai Bing of China, Ambassador Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe of Nepal, and Ambassador Loukas Tsokos of Greece.
