Kazakhstan marked the 30th anniversary of its independence Monday commemorating the development, peace and prosperity it has achieved since then.

Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union on Dec. 16 1991.

Kazakhstan Ambassador Bakyt Dyussenbayev declared 2021 as significant year for Kazakhstan-Korean relations due to the state visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the first visit by a foreign head of state since beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The state visit raised level of Kazakhstan-Korea bilateral relations to an expanded strategic partnership,” Dyussenbayev said.

“The remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, previously buried in Kazakhstan, were handed over to the Korean side,” the ambassador said.

Hong was a Korean independence fighter during the Japanese occupation who served as general commander of Korea’s independence army.

He is a historic figure in the Korea’s fight for liberation. Hong is especially famous for leading a historic victory in the Battle of Fengwudong, called Bong-o-dong in Korea, in northeastern China against Japanese forces in 1920.

Hong spent the end of his life in Kazakhstan, having been forced to migrate there under then Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin’s policy and died in 1943 at the age of 75.

His remains had been buried in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda.

According to the Kazakhstan Embassy, a monument for Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev opened in Seoul with the support of Shinil Education Foundation and Seoul Cyber University in Korea.

The embassy said that Kazakhstan and Korea was planning numerous bilateral, cultural, humanitarian events and intergovernmental visits in 2022 as part of 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Kazakhs are successor of ancient civilizations of the Sсythians and Huns, and later the ancient Turks, who created strong states in the vastness of Eurasia, said Kazakhstan ambassador at the anniversary.

According to Dyussenbayev, Kazakhstan’s GDP increased 17-fold, trade turnover increased more than 60-fold, international reserves grew more than 120-fold, gross inflow of foreign direct investment amounted to more than $ 370 billion, and today Kazakhstan ranks first among the commonwealth of Independent States countries in terms of net foreign direct investment per capita.

Dyussenbayev mentioned the Kazakhstan Expo 2017 on future energy attended by 115 states and 22 international organizations, and described Kazakhstan as multinational country with 130 nationalities, interethnic peace and harmony, and considered multiculturalism of Kazakhstan as huge wealth and cultural heritage.

Dyussenbayev cited Semipalatinsk nuclear test site closed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1991 led to resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009, designation of Aug. 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Test, nuclear disarmament and initiation of the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia in 2006 as milestones after Kazakhstan’s independence.

Acknowledging Kazakhstan’s active foreign policy and political stability, Dyussenbayev referred to Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) as an important international platform for discussing security issues in Asia.

CICA was initiated by Kazakhstan at the 47th session of the UN General Assembly in 1992.

According to Dyussenbayev, Kazakhstan chaired Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and hosted the OSCE Summit in 2010, Kazakhstan also chaired Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2011-2012,

“OIC unites 57 countries with a population of about 1.5 billion people,” Dyussenbayev said.

He added that Kazakhstan was first Central Asian country to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018.

The anniversary was also attended by Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang In-chul.