Government Considers Establishing Diplomatic Relations with Syria, the Last UN Member Without Ties, Following 'Dictator Ouster'

The government is actively considering establishing diplomatic relations with Syria, where a transitional government has been formed after overthrowing a dictator following a civil war. Syria is the only UN member state, aside from North Korea, that has not established diplomatic ties with South Korea.

(From left) Kim Eun-jung, Director General of the Africa and Middle East Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is meeting and conversing with Assad Al Shaibani, Foreign Minister of the Syrian Interim Government, in Damascus, Syria. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On the 11th, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who visited Damascus, the capital of Syria, from the 4th to the 7th, told reporters, "The trends in the international community and the situation in Syria have been specifically confirmed," adding, "Since the transitional government of Syria has expressed a welcoming attitude toward establishing diplomatic relations, we plan to proceed with a full review regarding the establishment of diplomatic ties."

Syria officially established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1966. Over the following decades, Syria maintained close ties with North Korea and was considered one of North Korea's key allies. However, in March 2011, the so-called 'Arab Spring' triggered nationwide protests against the dictatorship, which escalated into a terrorist conflict resulting in 600,000 deaths and over 14 million refugees. This is regarded as the greatest tragedy in the Middle East region. Despite the anti-government movement, the Assad regime survived, but in December last year, as support from allies such as Iran and Russia weakened, the Assad regime was ousted, and currently, a transitional government led by Interim President Ahmed Al-Shara is in place.

This marks the first visit by a South Korean government official to mainland Syria in over 20 years since a government delegation visited in 2003. Notably, this is the first dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs level in about 33 years since 1992. The visit by a diplomat to the last UN member state without diplomatic relations holds significance, and if it leads to the establishment of diplomatic ties, it is expected to broaden the horizons of South Korean diplomacy.

Regarding this visit by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, Syria’s transitional government Foreign Minister Assad Al Shaibani expressed, "We welcome this with an open heart," and conveyed hopes that "the new Syria wishes to establish new bilateral relations with South Korea," according to the official.