South Korea voices hopes for 'peace, stability' in Syria after fall of Assad's dictatorship

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): South Korea on Tuesday voiced hopes for the end of all violence, as well as the establishment of peace and stability in Syria following the recent fall of the Assad family's half-century-long dictatorship. On Sunday, rebel fighters toppled the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after 13 years of civil war, bringing an end to half a century of dictatorship by the Assad family, Yonhap news agency reported. "Taking this change as an opportunity, we hope that all violence will be brought to an end in Syria and Syrians will move toward peace and stability," a foreign ministry official said. The official celebrated the fall of the dictatorship as the "progress" the Syrian people have been awaiting for a long time. South Korea currently has no formal diplomatic relations with Syria, with no reported Korean residents in the country.