South Korea has established formal diplomatic relations with the Pacific Island country of Niue. 

According to Seoul’s foreign ministry on Monday, minister Park Jin and Dalton Tagelagi, the premier and foreign minister of Niue, signed an agreement initiating official bilateral ties during an event in Seoul earlier in the day. 

Park expressed hope that it will open a new chapter for friendship and cooperation not only between the two countries but also between Seoul and all Pacific Island members. The signing came on the sidelines of South Korea’s first summit with an 18-member bloc representing Pacific Island nations. 

With a population of around one-thousand-600, Niue is not an official member of the United Nations but is an active member of the World Health Organization and UNESCO. 

South Korea has now forged formal relations with 192 countries. The only countries with which South Korea does not have diplomatic ties are Kosovo, Syria, and Cuba.