South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrived in Cuba Saturday (local time) to attend a regional summit, officials said, marking the first time Seoul's top diplomat has visited the Caribbean state.

Yun is scheduled to stay in Havana for two days to attend a summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and hold meetings with some of his counterparts from the participating nations.

Yun's visit is widely seen as an effort to improve ties with Cuba, with which South Korea does not have diplomatic relations.

The two countries' ties have effectively been severed since 1959 when Fidel Castro took power in Cuba and forged an alliance with communist North Korea.

The 20-member ACS was launched in 1995. South Korea has joined ACS gatherings as an observer country since 1998. (Yonhap)