Syria and South Korea have established diplomatic relations for the first time, with embassies to be set up in their respective capitals, Damascus said on Thursday.
A Syrian foreign ministry statement said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday received a South Korean delegation headed by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.
Cho was also received by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a presidency statement said.
The two foreign ministers "agreed to open embassies and exchange diplomatic missions," the ministry statement said.
It said the initiative formed part of efforts "to restore the leading role of the Syrian Arab Republic in the region and in the world, a role lost due to the policies of the previous regime."
Syria was isolated diplomatically in the West under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted last December after a lightning Islamist-led offensive.
The country's isolation had intensified after Assad's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations and the outbreak of civil war in 2011.
Under Assad, Damascus maintained good relations with North Korea, Seoul's historical enemy.
With AFP
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