Who signed the Korea-Kazakhstan MOU on independence movement sites and when?

Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Arman Kyrykbayev signed the agreement on Tuesday. It was done during the bilateral summit involving President Lee Jae Myung and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

How many Korea-related historical sites are in Kazakhstan, and what is the ministry’s broader survey plan?

The ministry said Kazakhstan has 25 historical sites related to Korea’s independence movement. It is also surveying 1,032 overseas sites in total, with inspections scheduled for China and Japan this year, more sites in 2027, and the remainder in 2028.

Korea, Kazakhstan sign MOU on preservation of historic sites linked to Korea's independence movement

Q: What did Korea and Kazakhstan agree to preserve in the MOU signed in Seoul?

They agreed to systematically preserve historical records and the cultural value of historical sites in Kazakhstan linked to Korea’s independence movement. The two sides also said they would strengthen academic exchanges.

Listen

Summary

Korea and Kazakhstan signed an MOU on Tuesday to better preserve historical sites in Kazakhstan linked to Korea’s independence movement against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. The agreement was signed by Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Kazakhstan’s culture and information minister Arman Kyrykbayev on the sidelines of a bilateral summit in Seoul. The two sides will systematically preserve the sites’ historical records and cultural value and strengthen academic exchanges. The ministry said Kazakhstan has 25 such sites.

Key Facts

The MOU was signed by Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Arman Kyrykbayev, Kazakhstan’s minister of culture and information minister.
The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of a bilateral summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The ministry said there are 25 historical sites in Kazakhstan related to Korea’s independence movement.
The Veterans Ministry is conducting an on-site survey of 1,032 overseas historical sites related to Korea’s independence movement, with the work set to conclude in 2028.
The ministry plans to inspect 258 sites in China and Japan this year, 413 sites in 2027, and the remaining 361 sites in 2028.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 16, 2026 10:28 am KST

Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul, fourth from left, and Kazakhstan's minister of culture and information minister Arman Kyrykbayev, first from left, pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to help preserve historical sites linked to Korea's independence movement at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help better preserve historical sites in the Central Asian country that are linked to Korea's independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, Seoul's veterans ministry said Wednesday.

The agreement was signed Tuesday by Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Arman Kyrykbayev, Kazakhstan's minister of culture and information minister, on the sidelines of a bilateral summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Kazakh president is on a visit to Seoul, along with the heads of state of four other Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, for the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit.

Under the MOU, the two countries agreed to systematically preserve the historical records and cultural value of historical sites related to Korea's independence movement while also strengthening academic exchanges.

There are 25 historical sites related to Korea's independence movement in the central Asian country, according to the ministry.

Among the sites is a memorial park in Kyzylorda, southern Kazakhstan, where Hong Beom-do, a historic figure in the nation's fight for liberation, was once buried. Hong, who served as general commander of Korea's independence army, is renowned for leading a historic victory in the Battle of Bongo-dong in northeastern China against Japanese forces in 1920.

The ministry is currently conducting an on-site survey of all 1,032 overseas historical sites related to Korea's independence movement against Japan's colonial rule, set to conclude in 2028.

Under the plan, the ministry will inspect 258 sites in China and Japan this year, followed by 413 sites in 2027 and the remaining 361 sites in 2028.

Explore More