South Korea and Syria formally established diplomatic relations on Thursday during Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul’s secret, whirlwind diplomatic trip to Syrian capital Damascus, marking a diplomatic landmark as Seoul forges ties with its last remaining UN member state, apart from North Korea.
Cho, the first South Korean foreign minister to visit Syria, signed the joint statement with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday to formally establish ties during their meeting, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
“By establishing diplomatic ties with Syria — the last country with which South Korea had not yet established relations after forging ties with Cuba last year — South Korea has reached a historic milestone by having diplomatic relations with all 191 (other) UN member states,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. The UN officially recognizes 193 UN member states.
“This also opens a new chapter of cooperation with Syria, whose bilateral relations with South Korea had been severed for a long period because of its close alignment with North Korea.”
The two foreign ministers discussed in detail the future direction of bilateral relations, according to Seoul.
Cho further stated that “bilateral exchanges, based on the establishment of diplomatic ties with South Korea, would contribute to Syria’s development and stability in the Middle East,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.
In particular, “Cho expressed South Korea’s willingness to share its development experience to support Syria’s national reconstruction process, and raised the prospect of Korean companies participating in reconstruction efforts, should the overall environment improve.”
Cho also expressed South Korea’s intent to support Syria in coping with ongoing humanitarian crises by providing items such as medicines, medical supplies and rice.
In turn, the Syrian foreign minister expressed his gratitude for South Korea’s willingness to share its development experience and its plans for humanitarian assistance. He expressed the hope that South Korea would help ease sanctions against Syria.
Shaibani further proposed holding discussions on ways South Korea could contribute to Syria’s future reconstruction, according to Seoul.
Cho also paid a courtesy call to Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during his hourslong trip to Damascus.
Cho congratulated Syria on its successful transition to a new government through the formation of an inclusive administration following the fall of the Assad regime, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.
Cho emphasized that “if Syria continues to meet the expectations of the international community — such as maintaining an inclusive political process, taking a firm stand against extremism and eliminating chemical weapons — it would lead to creating a favorable environment for national reconstruction and sustainable economic development.” Cho added that South Korea would “play its necessary role in supporting the efforts of the new government.”
The Syrian president welcomed the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, stressing that South Korean support is vital in the early stages of what he described as a “new Syria.”
The president proposed the two countries lay the groundwork, through the establishment of formal ties, for a friendly and cooperative partnership that contributes to international peace, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
South Korea has sought the establishment of diplomatic ties with Syria – previously a long-time close ally of North Korea – since the collapse of the Assad regime in early December last year.
As part of such efforts, a South Korean diplomatic delegation led by Kim Eun-jeong, director general for African and Middle Eastern affairs at the Foreign Ministry, visited Damascus from Feb. 5 to 7 and met with Syrian interim government officials, including Shaibani, to engage in preliminary talks on forging diplomatic ties.
The South Korean government approved a plan to establish diplomatic ties with Syria at a Cabinet meeting on March 18, presided over by then-acting President and now-Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok. The proposal was initially planned to be passed at the March 11 Cabinet meeting, but the decision was put on hold due to the deteriorating situation of civil war in Syria.
Seoul forging ties with Damascus has salience in the sense that South Korea has now established ties with all other UN member states, 191 countries, apart from North Korea. The absence of diplomatic ties was mainly driven by the affinity between North Korea and the Assad regime after they established diplomatic relations in 1966.
The collapse of the Bashar Assad regime on Dec. 8, ending the Assad dynasty’s 53-year reign and Syria’s devastating war, which had been ongoing since 2011, also opened up a window of opportunity for South Korea to patch up ties with Syria and pursue the establishment of diplomatic relations.
North Korea and Syria have an extensive — largely hidden — military and diplomatic partnership, established by shared resistance to the West and supported by Pyongyang’s support for Assad’s regime in its civil war. Previous UN reports on the violations of sanctions on North Korea pointed out that North Korea had supplied ballistic missiles and transferred chemical weapon technology to Syria.
Syria has become the 194th country to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, following Seoul’s surprise move to forge ties with Cuba — another longtime ally of North Korea — in February 2024. The Holy See, Cook Islands and Niue are the non-UN member states with which South Korea has diplomatic relations.
South Korea and Syria are expected to rejuvenate bilateral cooperation with the establishment of diplomatic ties stoking momentum across sectors including the economy and trade, though the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria serves as a determining factor.
South Korea’s exports to Syria surpassed $400 million in 2005 and continued rising at double-digit rates annually through 2010 when they reached a record of over $1.25 billion, passing the $1 billion mark for the first time, according to a database provided by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. But South Korea’s exports nose-dived following the civil war that broke out in March 2011.
Automobiles were South Korea’s top export item to Syria, peaking at $697 million in 2010, estimated as accounting for 80 to 90 percent of the local market, according to KOTRA, which maintained an office in Damascus from 2009 to 2012.
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