By Park Si-soo
Kazakhstan is seeking to emulate Korea’s growth model with its “can-do” spirit, said a senior journalist from the Central Asian country, Friday.
The world’s ninth largest country won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has tried hard to attract foreign investments and learn advanced measures to revitalize its economy.
“Korea is a model example of ‘can-do spirit’ for Kazakhstan,” said Tarakov Alexandr Uryevich, vice president of the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper, referring to the country’s dramatic rise from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War to a world leading economy. “Korea has made it in a short period of time. It sends a message to our citizens that we can do it as well.”
This is his second visit to Seoul after one in 2009. The 50-year-old veteran journalist is visiting the country from Monday at the invitation of the Korea Foundation, a state-run institute facilitating academic and cultural exchange programs.
He will depart for Kazakhstan after interviewing senior Korean diplomats, scholars and bureaucrats.
Uryevich wrote a Russian-written book eulogizing Korea’s economic growth following his first visit. He is considering updating the book based upon his ongoing trip to the country.
“Korea first caught my attention with its brilliant economic growth in a short period of time. Now, its contemporary culture is doing so,” he said with a smile, referring to a widespread sensation of Korean drama and pop songs, which have also swept many Asian countries in recent years, including Japan.
The journalist showed great interest in the Korean alphabet or Hangul. “Hangul is a really nice tool to make various expressions simply and efficiently,” he said, calling King Sejoing ― the fourth king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) who invented Hangul ― a “great leader.”
He asked for greater investment into his country’s uranium and car industries. Kazakhstan contains the world’s second-largest uranium reserves, estimated at 1.5 million tons.
“Foreign-invested firms will benefit, including tax cuts, from a development plan, dubbed the Kazakhstan 2030 Plan,” he said. “I believe there will be good opportunities for Korean companies.”
The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1992. Nearly 110,000 ethnic Koreans live there with some of them occupying high-ranking positions in politics and the government.
In August, President Lee Myung-bak met with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev and agreed on two $4 billion projects for the construction of power plants and a petrochemical complex in the Central Asian country.
Under the agreement, the Korean consortium consisting of Samsung C&T and the Korea Electric Power Corporation will build the two coal-fired plants.