Exhibition marks 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-Korea relations

The Kazakhstan Embassy opened an exhibition to honor the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-Korea diplomatic relations in Seoul on Thursday.

Co-hosted by the Kazakhstan Embassy and Korean Foundation, the exhibition titled “Land of Hope” showcases the history of Koreans in Kazakhstan, dating to 1937 when large numbers of the Korean diaspora in the Soviet Union’s Far East were deported to Central Asia.

The exhibition presents more than 100 different exhibits, including basic necessities, books in Korean, certificates, play manuscripts, music records, photographs, videos and documentaries comprising the history of the Korean people.

Delivering congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony, Kazakhstan Ambassador to South Korea Bakyt Dyussenbayev noted the exhibition as significant due to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-Korea diplomatic relations and the year of Kazakhstan-Korea cultural exchanges.

Dyussenbayev recalled the deportation of 5 million people as a huge historical tragedy and credited the people of Kazakhstan for warmly receiving the deported people.

“More than 130 different nationalities are living in peace and harmony in our country,” noted the ambassador.

Citing the country’s data, Dyussenbayev said that more than 600,000 ethnic Germans, 500,000 of the North Caucasus such as Chechens, Kabardians, Ossetians, Georgians and others, 500,000 of different ethnic groups from what was the western portions of the Soviet Union, 100,000 ethnic Poles and 100,000 Koreans were deported in the 1930s and 1940s.

“Today more than 100,000 Koreans live in Kazakhstan, who are the golden bridge between Kazakhstan and Korea,” stressed the ambassador.

The exhibition began Thursday and runs to Aug. 6 at the Korea Foundation Gallery in Seoul. Admission is free.

By Sanjay Kumar (sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com)