Cho Tae-yeol Reveals Post-Syria Diplomatic Relations Story: "Strike While the Iron Is Hot"

Facebook Post on the 12th
Describes Achievement as a "Closing Home Run"

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol visited Damascus, the capital of Syria, on the 10th (local time) and signed the "Joint Statement on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Korea and Syria" with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Al-Shaybani, taking a commemorative photo. Minister Cho shared an after-story of the diplomatic relations with Syria in a Facebook post that day. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yonhap News Agency

On the 12th, Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who returned after finalizing diplomatic relations with Syria, shared an anecdote saying he embarked on a sudden visit to Syria "to seize the hard-earned opportunity, as the saying goes, 'Strike while the iron is hot'." He also described the diplomatic achievement as a "closing home run."

In a Facebook post that day, Minister Cho expressed his thoughts, stating, "Until the end of last year when the (Bashar al) Assad regime was ousted, Syria remained our last non-diplomatic country, closely allied with North Korea for over 60 years. Finally, Syria has taken the hand of reconciliation and exchange that we extended."

Minister Cho said that through establishing diplomatic relations with Syria, following Cuba during his tenure, he has set a historic milestone by completing diplomatic ties with all UN member states. He added, "Personally, I consider this a great fortune and honor," even including the smiling eyes emoticon '^^', and wrote, "In baseball terms, this might be considered a closing home run."

On the 10th (local time), Minister Cho visited Damascus and signed the "Joint Statement on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Korea and Syria" with Syria's Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaybani.

After the Assad dictatorship, which had maintained close ties with North Korea, fell to rebel victory in December last year, the government did not miss the opportunity and dispatched a delegation to Syria in early February to confirm the transitional government's willingness to establish diplomatic relations. The process was swiftly completed in just over two months.

Following Cuba, which is regarded as a brother country to North Korea, South Korea has now established diplomatic relations with Syria, thereby completing diplomatic ties with all 191 UN member states except North Korea.