Kazakhstan–Korea Friendship Park
| Friendship Park of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Bastobe Hill, Ushtobe, Kazakhstan |
| Coordinates | 45°18′12″N 78°02′21″E / 45.30321°N 78.03921°E |
| Status | Under construction |
The Friendship Park of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea (Russian: Парк дружбы Республики Казахстан и Республики Корея; Korean: 한국–카자흐스탄 우호기념공원) or Kazakhstan–Korea Friendship Park (Парка дружбы Казахстан – Корея) is a park currently under construction[1] on Bastobe Hill, Ushtobe, Kazakhstan.[2][3]
Background[edit]
Bastobe Hill stands as the location where the first Korean community settled in Kazakhstan, holding particular historical importance for the ethnic Korean Kazakhs, collectively identified as Koryo-saram. In 1937, some 170,000 ethnic Koreans were subjected to forced relocation from the Russian Far East to Central Asia as part of Stalin's ethnic cleansing policies.[1] The initial settlers in Kazakhstan found themselves without support from the Soviet government as they tried to establish new lives. After walking an additional 7 km (4.3 mi) from the drop-off point,[1] they reached Bashtobe Hill in October 1937.[4] They reportedly dug shelters out of the frozen ground with their bare hands in order to survive the cold, as temperatures could drop to −40 °C (−40 °F).[2][3][1] Around 20,000 died in these conditions.[2] Upon their arrival, they were assisted by local Kazakh people, and the ethnic Koreans and the local Kazakhs fostered a strong sense of camaraderie.[1] Within two years, the community established 20 collective farms.[1]
Development[edit]
Earlier monuments[edit]
In May 2002, a memorial was installed on the hill.[5] It is written in Korean using Hangul, and reads:[5][a]
Koreans, who were forcibly moved from the Russian Far East, first settled and lived here in burrows from 9 October 1937 to 10 April 1938.
In 2012, the Korean Association of Kazakhstan installed a memorial that commemorated the location and expressed gratitude toward the Kazakh people for their assistance.[6] Graves from early communities in the area are scattered around the hill, numbering in the hundreds. Many headstones are written in Hangul.[6][5]
Creation[edit]
In May 2018, the Korean Association of Kazakhstan, the Reunification Culture Research Center (Korean: 통일문화연구원), and the Chung-Ang University Health Care System Hyundai Hospital reached an agreement to create the park.[7] The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 26 July 2019.[2] Restoration work also began on the various monuments and tombs on the hill.[1] At the ceremony, another monument was revealed, which reads "同族如天" (Hanja; in Hangul "동족여천"), meaning "serve (your) compatriots like heaven."[2] Construction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] In 2021, a monument was installed in the name of the President of Kazakhstan, thanking the Korean people for their relationship with Kazakhstan.[6]
In 2022, a monument wall was created, dedicated to fifteen Koryo-saram Korean independence activists, including Hong Beom-do, Yi Dong-hwi, and Choe Jae-hyeong.[1] Various descendents of those commemorated on the wall attended the ceremony.[1][8]
Some of the original burrows are now left as depressions in the ground.[5] Some of them have known functions, including one that functioned as a mess hall.[5] A memorial service is held on the hill every year on March 1.[7]
See also[edit]
- Karatal Korean History Center – a history museum in Ushtobe that is often visited alongside the park[9]
Notes[edit]
- ^ 『이곳은 원동에서 강제이주된 고려인들이 1937년 10월 9일부터 1938년 4월 10일 까지 토굴을 짓고 살았던 초기 정착지이다』
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 권, 형석 (2022-08-15). "고려인 최초 정착지에 세운 '추모의 벽'… 15人 독립영웅 우뚝". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e Oh, Hyun Woo; Lee, Jihae (November 8, 2019). "Park in Kazakhstan honoring ethnic Koreans to be built". Korea.net. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b "В знак благодарности и дружбы от Кореи Казахстану". Koryo Ilbo (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "월곡 역사탐방단 우슈토베 방문". Koryo Ilbo (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e "[김진국의 퍼스펙티브] 안에서 탄압받고, 밖에서 박해받고…힘없는 백성이 죄인가". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c "Как Уштобе стал "корейской столицей" Казахстана". Агентство профессиональных новостей (АПН) (in Russian). 2021-05-31. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c "카자흐 고려인 최초 정착지 바슈토베에서 '한-카 우호 기념비' 제막". 재외동포신문 (in Korean). 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "강제이주 고려인 토굴 짓고 살던 곳에 추모의 벽". 매일경제 (in Korean). 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "월곡 역사탐방단 우슈토베 방문". Koryo Ilbo (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-02-02.
External links[edit]
- S01E75 17만 소련 강제 이주 고려인 🇰🇿#2 on YouTube – A South Korean travel YouTuber visits the park in 2023 (timestamp 11:25, in Korean)
- 100년전 한국을 떠난 고려인들이 만든 마을, 그리고 큰 어른을 만나다 [카자흐스탄 EP.9]🇰🇿 on YouTube – Another YouTuber visits the park in 2023 (timestamp 12:09, in Korean)
- [방송 하이라이트] 카자흐스탄의 카레이스키, 고려인의 밥상 (KBS 20170226 방송) on YouTube – The hill is featured at 10:20 in a 2017 episode of Korean Cuisine and Dining