Opportunities to Participate in the Development of Alatau City
An international roadshow for the development of Kazakhstan's national project, "Alatau City," will be held on October 15 at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul.
Jointly hosted by the government of Kazakhstan and a Korean diaspora enterprise (Samjong KPMG Advisory), this event aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Korea and Kazakhstan and to integrate Korea's accumulated industrial development experience and advanced technology into Kazakhstan's new city development opportunities. On this day, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, along with vice ministers from five central ministries of Kazakhstan, will visit Korea to discuss cooperation in advanced industries such as the hydrogen economy and future mobility, as well as ways to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation channels (G2G) between the two countries.
The Alatau City project is a national initiative designed to transform Kazakhstan into a global innovation city and advanced industrial hub at the center of the Silk Road. This is a core policy aimed at shifting the country’s economy from its traditional focus on natural resources (oil, gas, minerals) to advanced manufacturing and innovative service industries. If Korea’s advanced technology is combined with Kazakhstan’s land and capital, it is expected to create a "New Silk Road Innovation Ecosystem."
This project is being promoted under the direct leadership of President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, who is spearheading the enactment of legislation for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The project benchmarks the master plan of Surbana Jurong in Singapore, the industrial development model of Shenzhen in China, and Korea's advanced industry growth roadmap.
In particular, key figures from the Korean diaspora business network are participating as a think tank to support the project. They regard Korean technology as a vital resource for Kazakhstan’s economic growth and emphasize that leveraging Korea’s advanced technology is essential for establishing robust industrial sovereignty in Kazakhstan, especially by turning the current geoeconomic crisis into an opportunity.
Alatau City has selected future industries such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM), robotaxis, the hydrogen economy, and the battery circular economy as its core growth engines. To achieve this, Kazakhstan needs Korea’s experience in new industry policy, EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) infrastructure development capabilities, R&D sandbox, and a system for nurturing science and technology talent.
Recently, discussions have begun with major Korean institutions and companies, including KIND (Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation) and Korea Power Engineering Company. Based on their infrastructure development expertise and capital, they are working to concretize cooperation models.
Looking ahead, Alatau City is expected to gradually establish an eco-friendly transportation and logistics infrastructure utilizing hydrogen buses and trucks, as well as a future mobility ecosystem that expands into AI-based remote driving and spatial computing industries.
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