Sorting Bone Fragments and Recycling Concrete: Syria Reconstruction Gains Momentum 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 humans or animals..."

Tagrid, a young woman sorting concrete debris under a scorching heat approaching 40°C (104°F) and thick clouds of dust, said this as she added, "My heart aches the most when I find items like toys that children used to play with."

"Every time we sort through objects filled with people's memories, such as everyday furniture, I feel a deep sense of pain," Tagrid expressed.

Yonhap News visited a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) workplace located in Aleppo, northwestern Syria, during the daytime on the 26th (local time).

Work was underway to collect building debris shattered during the prolonged civil war and recycle it into construction materials for reconstruction.

Aleppo was the site of some of the most intense battles during the Syrian civil war that lasted for about 13 years from 2011 to 2024, marked by repeated occupations and recaptures under the offensive of dictator Bashar al-Assad's government forces.

As the tragic reality of tens of thousands of civilians being massacred became known, it was once dubbed 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 manufacture intact bricks and tiles.

Shukri, a middle-aged man wearing work clothes bearing the Taegeuk crest on his chest and the Korean inscription "Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said that right after the outbreak of the civil war, he took his family and crossed over to Antalya in neighboring Turkey to live as a refugee, returning 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 proudly, adding, "The tiles I make are used to repave sidewalks so people can safely walk to places like hospitals again."

Although the Sunni Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted the al-Assad regime in December 2024 to bring a temporary end to the civil war, it is an overwhelming task for Syrians to rebuild their devastated cities entirely on their own.

Japan, which jumped early into international contributions to Syria, reportedly receives positive evaluations locally due to its meticulous support.

Japan prominently displays its efforts on projects funded by its own budget, to the extent that the Japanese flag is easily noticeable attached to street trash cans.

South Korea is also actively participating in humanitarian aid and paving the way for its entry into Syria.

The Al-Farafra Center, which helps livelihoods in vulnerable groups such as families with infants, is another location where South Korea is involved.

In this spot hidden within the narrow, dim alleys of the ancient city of Aleppo, papers reading "Shukran Kury" (Thank you, Korea) alongside the South Korean flag were posted everywhere.

In the center's courtyard, citizens were waiting to receive food vouchers worth 390 dollars provided to each family every month.

While women draped in black burkas showed wariness toward unfamiliar Asians, young children walked up to the camera and asked to have their pictures taken.

Expressing gratitude, a woman met with Jeon Kyu-seok, South Korean Ambassador to Lebanon who also serves as Ambassador to Syria, and World Food Programme (WFP) officials, saying, "My one-year-old son Yahya was eating so poorly he could barely walk, but thanks to help from this place starting a few months ago, he has been eating chicken and his nutritional status has improved tremendously."

The reconstruction project for the "Abo Firas al-Hamdani" school located in the village of Qadi Askar, east of Aleppo, is an example of South Korea and Japan joining hands to provide support.

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

Outside the classroom windows, neighboring buildings pockmarked 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 young students to return for the fall semester this year.

Lecturing on South Korea's development experience at Aleppo University that 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 strengths."

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

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