Sorting Bone Fragments and Recycling Concrete: Syria Undergoing Reconstruction with South Korea's Help

"Sometimes bone fragments get mixed in with the rubble. Because they have been left unattended for years, it is impossible to tell whether they belong to a human or an animal..."

Taghrid, a young woman sorting concrete debris under a blistering heat wave approaching 40°C (104°F) and thick dust, said this, adding, "It breaks my heart the most when I find items like toys that children used to play with."

"Whenever I pick out objects filled with people's memories, like furniture once used in daily life, I feel tormented," Taghrid vented.

On the afternoon of the 26th (local time), at a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) workspace located in Aleppo, northwestern Syria, efforts were underway to collect building wreckage shattered during the prolonged civil war and recycle them into construction materials for reconstruction.

Aleppo was the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the Syrian civil war that lasted for about 13 years from 2011 to 2024, experiencing repeated capture and recapture by the government forces of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

As the tragic reality of tens of thousands of civilians being massacred became known, it was once even called the "Stalingrad of Syria."

Here, the South Korean government has been supporting a UNDP project for years that crushes concrete—after sorting out reinforcing bars, plastics, and household waste—to turn it into sound bricks and tiles.

Shukri, a middle-aged man wearing work clothes emblazoned with the Taegeukgi (South Korean flag) pattern and the Korean word "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" on his chest, said that right after the outbreak of the civil war, he took his family across the border to Antalya, Turkey, to live as a refugee, and returned to Aleppo about five years ago when the security situation stabilized somewhat.

"I am grateful for what South Korea is doing for our country," Shukri said with pride, adding, "The tiles I make are used to repave sidewalks so that people can safely walk to places like hospitals again."

Although the civil war was temporarily brought to a close in December 2024 when the Sunni Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted the Assad regime, it is overwhelming for Syrians to rebuild the devastated cities entirely on their own strength.

Japan, which jumped early into providing contributions to Syria, is reportedly receiving favorable reviews locally for its meticulous support.

Japan makes such a show of projects funded by its own budget that the Japanese flag can noticeably be seen attached to street trash cans.


South Korea is also actively participating in humanitarian assistance and paving the stepping stones for entry into Syria.

The Al-Farafra Center, which helps the livelihoods of vulnerable groups such as families with infants and toddlers, is another place involving South Korea.

In this spot hidden inside the narrow, dim alleys of the ancient city of Aleppo, papers reading "Shukran Korea" (Thank you, Korea) along with the Taegeukgi were attached everywhere.

In the courtyard of the center, citizens were waiting to receive food vouchers worth $390 per family every month.

Women draped in black burqas showed wariness toward unfamiliar Asians, but young children walked up to the cameras and begged to have their pictures taken.

One woman met with Jeon Kyu-seok, South Korean Ambassador to Lebanon who also serves as Ambassador to Syria, and World Food Programme (WFP) officials, expressing her gratitude by saying, "My one-year-old son Yahya was eating so poorly that he could not even walk properly, but thanks to the help here from a few months ago, he has been eating chicken and his nutritional status has improved greatly."


The reconstruction project of the Abu Firas al-Hamdani School located in the village of Qadi Askar, east of Aleppo, is an example where South Korea and Japan joined hands to provide support.

The school building, which had been damaged by bullets and artillery shells in the middle of a fiercely contested area, was restored under the leadership of UNICEF.

Outside the classroom windows, neighboring buildings pocked with bullet holes like beehives came directly into view, but the inside of the school felt clean and safe.

New blackboards and desks were waiting for the young students who will return in the fall semester of this year.

Giving a lecture on South Korea's development experience at Aleppo University on this day, Ambassador Jeon Kyu-seok said, "Syria has sufficient potential to achieve economic recovery and reconstruction based on its abundant human resources, historical and cultural assets, and geopolitical advantages."

Following this, Professor Kim Ik-hwan of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey took the podium as a special speaker and suggested plans to build import-export ports and logistics hubs in Syria, citing the case of the construction of Busan Port.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.