Among the five Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan sends the largest number of travelers to Korea. This is because it has the largest land area and a relatively better economic situation compared to the other nations. In the past, many visitors to Korea came from Almaty, the former capital. However, the family that enjoyed samgyetang so much at Cherry Garden yesterday told me they came from Astana.

The mother and younger sister had visited Korea to see their son, who is working here. "The sea in Busan is so beautiful," they exclaimed in admiration. Since none of the Central Asian countries have access to the sea, they go wild just looking at the ocean. Cities like Busan would benefit from focusing their tourism promotions on the Central Asian market, as the sea is a dream destination for them.

When they stepped into the entrance of Cherry Garden, my first impression was that they were Kazakhstani, so I asked, "Did you come from Almaty?" They all smiled brightly and asked, "Do you know Almaty?" I replied, "I've been there on a business trip, and it was a truly impressive city." As soon as she heard that I had visited her country, the mother hugged me and said, "Spasibo!" That is Russian for "Thank you." It had been a long time since I last heard that expression.

Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. Named to honor the first president, it was once changed to Nur-Sultan, but later reverted back to Astana, which simply means "capital." In my opinion, Astana is much better. No matter how remarkable the achievements of a first president might be, changing the capital's name to an individual's name does not look good, as it can easily border on the cult of personality.

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