Cuban reporter talks about small world

By Park Sojung SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Growing up in Cuba in the 1950s, Luis Alberto Melian Alfonso never imagined he would travel to South Korea, a little-known country to Cubans back then, to discuss the future of news agencies in an era where news travel across the world at lightning speed. The veteran reporter from Prensa Latina, Cuba's national news agency, is the first Cuban to attend the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Executive Board Meeting, an annual conference that discusses ways to enhance ties and cooperation among news agencies across the region. Though the name suggests it is exclusive to agencies in the Asia-Pacific region, any news agency may participate as an observer. "When I was visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace, they were telling me all those buildings were built 500 years ago," the 61-year-old told Yonhap News Agency, which hosted the 39th edition of the regional event at its headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. Gyeongbok Palace is a popular tourist attraction in downtown Seoul. "The Spaniards landed in Cuba in 1492. So Havana was founded when this palace was being built." Cultural exchange between South Korea and Cuba has been gaining much traction recently, with the former sending a delegation to Havana's International Book Fair and the Havana Biennale. In June, a Cuban Cultural Festival was held in Seoul, introducing Cuban jazz, dance and movies to locals. "I think it's good that we get to know each other. People are coming into contact," he said. "A person from country A meets someone from country B in country C. That's happening everywhere: the Internet, chats, Facebook, all that." Alfonso said Cuba has seen more than three million inbound tourists this year. Some, though a minority, came from South Korea. He reminisced on the time he was traveling 20 years ago, when things were much different. "When I went to Indonesia in 1998, the passenger sitting next to me on a flight form Frankfurt to Jakarta thought I was European," he said. "That person asked 'Cuba? Where is that?' Now everyone knows Cuba because of Facebook or the U.S. conflict." Alfonso also touched on the subject of Cuba-U.S. relations, which was re-established in July after decades of gridlock. Though the change is positive, the journalist said there was still room for improvement. "The U.S. has a naval base in Guantanamo Bay. We've opened embassies and resumed relations, but the blockade is still there," he said. "The relations have improved. We're talking and holding meetings, but we can't forget the blockade and the base. We hope the blockade will be lifted one day." More than 20 representatives from 24 news agencies across the world convened at the regional event in Seoul, which concluded its two-day run on Tuesday. The meeting culminated in the adoption of the Seoul Declaration in which the OANA members vowed to combat terrorism through fair reporting. sojungpark@yna.co.kr (END)