ABSTRACT
Once in Kazakhstan, visitors became habituated to vague narratives of development which is portrayed as expressions of nationalism, revolving around symbols of the state and a Kazakhstan-2030 vision enumerating President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s vision of what Kazakhstan will look like in the year 2030. The aspect of macroeconomic development was debated extensively, especially from the standpoint of too much dependence on oil and gas, creating an urge to look at possibilities of diversification of the economy. Resource abundance creates pressure on consumption abilities and retards the growth process. South Korean participation is considered to be an important factor for Kazakhstan’s industrial development. After independence, Nazarbayev invoked South Korea as a potential model for Kazakhstan’s development. The removal of customs control on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border was an important move in the development dynamics of the region, especially in the context of Kazakhstan’s investment in the southern industrial districts of Kyrgyzstan.
