South Korea has formally established diplomatic relations with Syria, closing a decades-long gap and opening a new chapter in its global diplomacy.
The South Korean foreign ministry confirmed the agreement on Friday, describing it as a “milestone moment” that brings the country’s diplomatic outreach full circle. With the signing, Seoul now has relations with all 191 U.N. member states.
The breakthrough comes after years of political distance, driven by Syria’s close alignment with North Korea. That alliance, once marked by regular exchanges and state media coverage, has faded in recent years. Since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, North Korea has made no direct mention of Syria, aside from a passing reference to “the Middle East crisis” by Kim Jong Un.
The diplomatic communique was signed in Damascus on Thursday by South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Syrian representative Asaad al-Shibani.
Seoul said Minister Cho also met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, offering to share South Korea’s development expertise to support Syria’s post-war reconstruction.
The move mirrors Seoul’s recent diplomatic push. Last year, South Korea opened ties with Cuba, another longstanding ally of Pyongyang.
For South Korea, the agreement signals a strategic and symbolic shift, turning a former Cold War divide into a possible new space for cooperation.
Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold peace talks in Doha on Saturday, both sides said, after the South Asia neighbours extended a ceasefire following a ...
Britain's Prince Andrew said on Friday he would give up using his title of Duke of York following years of criticism about his behaviour and connectio...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for October 18th, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war with Russia, but met ...
Beijing has called on the Philippines to give up "unrealistic illusions" in the South China Sea, after Manila reaffirmed that Scarborough Shoal and th...
South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday sent SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's high-profile divorce case, which required him to pay a record settlement, back to a lower court for review, handing the billionaire businessman a temporary victory.
U.S. President Donald Trump remains set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea in late October as both sides seek to ease tensions over tariff threats and export controls, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.
South Korea on Friday summoned Cambodia’s ambassador to lodge a protest over the death of a South Korean student in the country and raised its travel advisory for Phnom Penh amid a surge in online scam cases targeting Korean nationals.
North Korea should consider resuming reunions of families separated during the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, as part of humanitarian cooperation measures between the neighbours, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday (3 October).
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold peace talks in Doha on Saturday, both sides said, after the South Asia neighbours extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes.
Britain's Prince Andrew said on Friday he would give up using his title of Duke of York following years of criticism about his behaviour and connections to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for October 18th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war with Russia, but met an American president who appears more intent on brokering a peace deal than upgrading Ukraine's arsenal.
Beijing has called on the Philippines to give up "unrealistic illusions" in the South China Sea, after Manila reaffirmed that Scarborough Shoal and the Kalayaan Island Group are integral parts of the Philippine archipelago.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment