[1] The initial settlers in Kazakhstan found themselves without support from the Soviet government as they tried to establish new lives.

After walking an additional 7 km (4.3 mi) from the drop-off point,[1] they reached Bashtobe Hill in October 1937.

[4] They reportedly dug shelters out of the frozen ground with their bare hands in order to survive the cold, as temperatures could drop to −40 °C (−40 °F).

[1] At the ceremony, another monument was revealed, which reads "同族如天" (Hanja; in Hangul "동족여천"), meaning "serve (your) compatriots like heaven.

[6] In 2022, a monument wall was created, dedicated to fifteen Koryo-saram Korean independence activists, including Hong Beom-do, Yi Dong-hwi, and Choe Jae-hyeong [ko].