1. The 26th International Ballet Festival of Havana took place in the Cuban capital of Havana from October 28 to November 6.

° “Universal Ballet,” the top ballet company of the Republic of Korea, staged a performance revolving around “Sim Cheong,” a Korean folktale about a filial daughter who tries to sacrifice her life for her blind father, drawing acclaim from Cuban people and ballet fans of the global community.

2. In consideration of the significance of the festival as a global ballet event as well as the ROK-Cuba relations, the Foreign Ministry and the Korea Foundation rendered assistance to Universal Ballet with its participation in the event.

3. On the sidelines of the festival, Director-General for Cultural Affairs Choi Young-sam of the Foreign Ministry met with officials of such Cuban government agencies as the Foreign and Culture Ministries, during which the two sides drew a common understanding that the ROK and Cuba should remain cooperative with each other in “soft” areas, including by promoting mutual understanding and boosting cultural and people-to-people exchanges for further advances in their bilateral relations.

4. Since the first visit to Cuba by an ROK Foreign Minister in June for a Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the ROK and Cuba are seeing bilateral exchanges and cooperation increase in various fields, including economy, trade, culture, sports, and academic and youth affairs.

° This trend is expected to bolster the basis for further advances in bilateral ties.


* unofficial translation