K-PARK: A Space for Memory, Gratitude, and Cooperation

In the history of every nation, some places come to mean more than their architecture, squares, or parks. They become part of a country’s collective memory, preserving the experiences of previous generations while looking toward the future. K-PARK, an international cultural and business center under development in Alatau City, is designed to be such a space. The foundation stone was laid on September 12, 2025. The project was initiated by the Association of Koreans of Kazakhstan and is timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Korean presence in Kazakhstan, marked in 2027. K-PARK is the first investment project in this new city, weaving the history of one of Kazakhstan’s ethnic groups into the fabric of a city still being built. Memory of an Arduous Journey The history of the Koryo-saram in Kazakhstan is inseparable from the tragic deportation of 1937, when most were forcibly relocated from the Soviet Far East to Central Asia. For the first generation of deportees, Kazakhstan was an unknown land to which they arrived against their will. Over subsequent generations, the Koreans of Kazakhstan became an integral part of the country’s society, contributing to agriculture and industry as well as to science and medicine. They became active in education and culture, in business and civic life. The approaching 90th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on this journey, and K-PARK is designed to give that memory a spatial form. Plans include a memorial of gratitude to the Kazakh people and a Garden of Identity. A dedicated Koryo-saram area would use historical reconstructions and a traditional Korean hanok house to tell the community’s story; museum and exhibition spaces would offer further context. Gratitude as a Component of Historical Memory The collective memory of Kazakhstan’s Koryo-saram community preserves many stories from the early years following the deportation, including accounts of harsh living conditions and of help from the local population. The project’s creators describe K-PARK as a symbol of respect and gratitude toward the Kazakh people and Kazakh land. Remembering the deportation therefore has another dimension: the solidarity of those who helped the displaced and the capacity of different peoples to coexist. K-PARK seeks to preserve the memory of a traumatic past and show how an ordeal endured can become a foundation for mutual respect and constructive action. From Ethnic Park to Open Public Space K-PARK is not intended to be solely a Korean ethno-cultural site. The planned cultural and business center will accommodate conferences and exhibitions. Its library and interactive museum would offer other ways to encounter the community’s history. Outside, a 5,000-seat amphitheater and sports and children’s playgrounds would provide space for performances and recreation. The official concept also envisions public events and international gatherings. For Koryo-saram, it can serve as a place to preserve historical memory and pass it on to new generations. For other Kazakhstanis, it offers a space to learn about the history of the country’s Korean community and its place in Kazakhstan’s wider history. In September 2026, Yuriy Tskhay, chairman...

South Korea’s YPP Considers $2 Billion Green Ammonia Project in Kazakhstan

South Korea’s YPP Corporation is considering building a green hydrogen and ammonia complex in the East Kazakhstan Region at an estimated cost of $2 billion. The project, outlined in a memorandum signed during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to South Korea, could produce up to 55,000 metric tons of green hydrogen or 310,000 metric tons of green ammonia annually. Green ammonia is made by combining nitrogen with hydrogen produced using renewable electricity. Most ammonia is currently used to make fertilizer, but it is also being developed as a low-carbon fuel and as a way of transporting hydrogen, which is more difficult and expensive to move over long distances in its pure form. For South Korea, which depends heavily on imported energy, ammonia is part of a wider effort to reduce emissions from power generation and industry. Its latest electricity plan envisages clean hydrogen and ammonia supplying 6.2% of electricity generation by 2038. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy, the regional authorities, and YPP signed a memorandum covering cooperation on the Green Energy Complex project. It envisages around 1 GW of renewable generation, including wind and solar power. The Ministry of Energy says the project would proceed if it proves economically viable. YPP, a South Korean energy engineering company, signed a framework agreement with Kazakh Invest to develop the Green Energy Complex in July 2025. The project was initially conceived on a larger scale. A 2025 proposal envisaged investment of up to $3.1 billion and 2 GW of renewable power, with annual hydrogen production of as much as 75,000 metric tons. Under the latest version, the estimated cost is about $2 billion, with renewable capacity of around 1 GW. Hydrogen production is now projected at up to 55,000 metric tons a year, while planned ammonia production remains unchanged at up to 310,000 metric tons. Kazakhstan has some obvious attractions for such a project: ample space for large renewable-energy developments and an established industrial base. East Kazakhstan is one of the country’s main metallurgical and power-producing regions. It also contains a significant share of Kazakhstan’s water resources, an important consideration because producing green hydrogen by electrolysis requires both electricity and water. The harder question is whether Kazakhstan can turn those advantages into ammonia that is competitive on international markets. Green ammonia remains substantially more expensive to produce than conventional ammonia. The International Energy Agency estimated in 2025 that ammonia made using electrolysis cost about three times as much on average before policy support and carbon pricing were taken into account. Competition for Asian buyers is also growing. Samsung C&T, which was named in 2025 as a potential buyer for the project in Kazakhstan, signed a binding 15-year agreement with India’s Reliance Industries in March 2026 for green ammonia produced in India. The deal is worth more than $3 billion, with supplies due to begin in the second half of fiscal year 2029. Kazakhstan also faces a geographical disadvantage. The country is landlocked, and ammonia produced in East Kazakhstan for South Korea or other overseas markets...