Cuba could be a Korea's Beachhead to Caribbean

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Cuba could be a Korea's Beachhead to Caribbean
2005-02-01

Hi, it's Paul Lee. As you may know Cuba is one of two communist countries secluded from the global organization, the other one is, of course, North Korea. I just got home there, Varodera, Cuba, taking 10 days winter vacation fleeing the severe Canadian winter with snow. The Cuban government has never allowed their people to travel out of Cuba since Fidel Castro's regime in power that was late 1950. Until that revolution happened, Cuba was a kind of free country under western hemisphere, especially U.S. All the resorts opened to foreigners nowadays were built at that time. The living standard of people there were so poor which seems like never got better since revolution.

But the most of people I met kept friendly with smiling that I believed because of hot tropical weather through whole year round. Cutting the relationship with western countries meant Cuban economy heading backward since that forced Castro's regime open the resorts area to foreign tourists later to feed their people, I believe. Still horse driven bogies are a major transportation at the most of cities in Cuba including Havana, capital city. Taxis, trucks, buses are very old that spews black smoke like chimney nobody seems like concerning of.

Sometimes I saw new cars, mini vans from Hyundai, Kia Co. of Korea, my homeland. Also I met a few descendants of Koreans who have lived there more than 3 generations who were hardly speaking Koreans. I have told them about myself in exchange information with them. But people there, from my view, didn't make any complaint of regime hardly which I believe that during the last 50 yrs they haven't seen out of Cuba that impossible for them to compare. Instead they have been brain washed with regime's propagandas only. And regime's power in control seems all most over since the top leader is weakened with old age. Then I believe whoever in power has to open their door to the world that may make Cuban people open their eyes widely to see and feel.

Seeing these kind of tendency in Cuba, Koreans can use Cuba as a vanguard to expand relationship with Caribbean countries, especially on economy, I mean, international trade. Cars I saw there made me feel competency a lot. Telecommunication industry with cell phones will be a major item for Korean manufacturers to be thought. Of course I believe big companies of Korea would have been in ready for their business. Still I want to inform these kinds of phenomenon in Cuba to Koreans who may have intention there. I really enjoyed my vacation playing golf, sunbathing, touring cities etc. The birds sat on bed made by room-maid who used bath towels were so impressive. Many thanks.

Paul Hankyun Lee
Canada (Retired businessman)