The Division of Understanding Korea Project at ASK’s Center for International Affairs held the "Textbook Seminar for Educators of Kazakhstan" on July 18-24, 2022. Four experts – two vice directors of <Uchebnik>, the textbook center under the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, a senior researcher and a head researcher of educational contents at the center – attended the seminar.

The Kazakh experts participated in a textbook forum with Korean experts, including researchers of the Division of Understanding Korea Project. The participants discussed the two countries’ education system and textbook system, and Korea-related contents in Kazakhstan's social studies textbooks. The forum gave the participants time to discuss the outlook for future education in the two countries and ways of bilateral educational and academic cooperation. Presentations of the Kazakh experts confirmed that Korea-related content in Kazakhstan textbooks is increasing.

The Kazakh participants from "Uchebnik" expressed strong interest in lectures on Korean culture, education, and economy. They agreed that South Korea and Kazakhstan share cultures and provided their opinions on ways to maintain and expand cooperative relations between the two countries. The Kazakh experts also expressed great interest in analyzing and approaching the Korean economy from a fresh perspective, and strengthening economic exchanges between the two countries. In the lecture on Korean education, Kazakh participants expressed gratitude for providing information on the Korean education system, and comparing it with their country's education system, they sincere engaged in exchanging questions and answers regarding improvement of the Kazakh education system.

They experienced the natural beauty and history of Korea by visiting Gyeongju, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where they visited historical and cultural relics that show Korea’s cultural excellence and long history. The found traces of past exchanges between Kazakhstan and South Korea. The Kazakh experts also toured Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, to observe the city’s geographical characteristics and economic development. In a visit to Gamcheon Culture Village, where there are memories of the pain of the Korean War, they expressed interest in the pain of the past and beauty of the present.

Touring the Seoul Museum of History, the Kazakh experts had a chance to understand the beauty of Seoul, an international city where tradition and modernity coexist. They experienced Korean tradition, culture and historical relics by visiting royal palaces, Jogyesa Temple, National Folk Museum, Insa-dong, and Myeong-dong. They enjoyed the beauty of hanbok by wearing the traditional Korean clothes and appreciated the unique aspects of Korean Buddhism by touring Jogyesa Temple in downtown Seoul.

The Kazakhstan textbook experts who actively participated in all the schedules praised Korean culture, art, economy, and society. They discussed specific ways to maintain broader relationship between South Korea and Kazakhstan, including the textbook sector, and asked the Koran side to participate in a local textbook seminar to be held in Kazakhstan in November this year.