In December 2024, the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, also known as the Syrian Liberation Organization) seized the capital city of Damascus. As a result, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled into exile in Russia, his regime’s chief patron, leading to the dramatic collapse of Syria’s hereditary dictatorship. Syria, which was trying to return to the international community, collapsed almost overnight due to the limited military support from its backers, Iran and Russia, and the inherent vulnerabilities of its authoritarian system despite the regime’s tight control. Internal factors—such as the unpredictability of a rule that was iron-fisted yet deeply fragile, and structural weaknesses exacerbated by years of civil war—also played a significant role. In March 2025, Ahmed al-Shara, former leader of HTS, announced the formation of a transitional government, vowing to build a democratic system that guarantees minority rights, to embrace the diverse armed groups and to pursue “transitional justice” by breaking with the legacy of the Assad regime. Beyond these daunting domestic tasks, the transitional government must also contend with the intense power struggle among major external actors vying for influence inside Syria.

Meanwhile, South Korea has expressed a strong intention to actively participate in Syria’s reconstruction following the establishment of diplomatic relations with the new government. The Syrian transitional authorities, in turn, have shown keen interest in South Korea’s economic development model and reportedly requested to dispatch a working-level delegation to learn from Korea’s experience. The South Korean government has proposed cooperation in three main areas: sharing development know-how, providing humanitarian aid, and contributing to economic reconstruction. In May, following the decision by the European Union and the United States to lift sanctions on Syria, Seoul announced that it, too, would actively support the reconstruction process and facilitate Korean business entry into Syria. However, rather than focusing narrowly on corporate profit, it would be more prudent for Korea to emphasize sharing its development experience, designing administrative systems, and offering postwar humanitarian support—areas already identified by both the Syrian transitional government and the South Korean authorities as priorities.

This article is an English Summary of Asan Issue Brief (2025-18).

 (‘시리아 세습 독재의 몰락과 이슬람주의 과도정부의 출범: 분석과 함의’)