Philip Reeves is an award-winning international correspondent covering South America. Previously, he served as NPR's correspondent covering Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
The 29-year-old said he was detained earlier this year after crossing into Syria on foot from Lebanon and held in prison until the fall of Assad. Timmerman's family called it a "Christmas miracle."
Germany hosts almost a million Syrians who fled war and dictatorship. The toppling of the Assad regime has raised questions for exiles about their next step.
In an address to the nation, President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed the opposition-controlled parliament has been destroying the country's liberal democratic order.