Climber Park Young-seok feared missing in Himalayas

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Mon, December 4, 2023 | 12:45

Climber Park Young-seok feared missing in Himalayas

박영석 히말라야서 실종..수색작업 개시

Posted : 2011-10-20 11:28

Updated : 2011-10-20 11:28

Korean mountaineer Park Young-seok has apparently gone missing along with two fellow climbers during their ascent of one of the world's highest peaks, officials said Thursday.

Korean mountaineer Park Young-seok has apparently gone missing along with two fellow climbers during their ascent of one of the world's highest peaks, officials said Thursday.

The Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) said Park last contacted his base camp at Annapurna in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. He was traveling with climbers Kang Ki-seok and Shin Dong-min.

According to the KAF, Park told the camp that the weather conditions were bad and that a lot of rocks were coming down the 8,091-meter-tall peak. A KAF official feared Park must have gone missing.

"He had said he would only travel a short distance and come back, but it's been almost two days since our last contact," the official said. "We think he may be missing on the mountain."

The KAF had a helicopter take off from Nepal to begin searching for Park, but a sherpa told Yonhap News Agency that he couldn't find any trace of Park. The helicopter went out for a second sweep but had to return when it fell short on fuel. Four sherpas landed near the 5,200-meter point but their search also proved futile.

"We can't tell for sure yet whether he'd be alive or not," the sherpa said. "Some survive for three, four days (in such conditions) but it really depends on the climber."

Lee In-jeong, chairman of the KAF, said he wasn't ruling out the possibility that Park may still be alive.

"He had told the camp he was coming back, and he should have arrived already," Lee said. "I am worried that he has been in accident, but it's also possible that he's trapped somewhere after losing his communication equipment. I am just praying for some good news."

Annapurna is one of the world's 14 highest peaks, which are collectively called "eight-thousanders," since each is at least 8,000 meters above sea level.

Park, 47, has already scaled Annapurna and returned this year to try a different route on the southern side of the mountain.

Park is the first of four Koreans to have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders. In 2005, he became the first in the world to complete the true Adventurers' Grand Slam, which entails reaching the North Pole and the South Pole and scaling the 14 highest peaks. (Yonhap)

박영석 히말라야서 실종..수색작업 개시
산악인 박영석(48) 대장이 히말라야 안나푸르나를 등반하다가 연락이 두절돼 구조대가 수색작업에 나서기로 했다. 20일 대한산악연맹에 따르면 박 대장은 지난 18일 오후 4시 위성전화를 한 것을 마지막으로 캠프와 교신이 끊겼다. 박 대장은 그때 마지막 전화에서 "기상 상태가 나쁘고 낙석이 많아 하산한다"고 말했다. 박 대장이 베이스캠프를 떠난 지 하루밖에 되지 않았지만 연락까지 두절됐다는 점 때문에 사고 가능성이 거론되고 있다. 연맹 관계자는 "얼마 되지 않은 거리를 간 뒤에 하산한다는 연락을 하고 36시간이 지난 아직도 소식이 없다는 점 때문에 실종이 아닌가 하는 생각을 하고 있다"고 말했다. 연맹과 박영석탐험문화재단은 현지에서 날이 밝는 대로 네팔 카트만두에서 헬리콥터를 띄워 수색작업에 들어갈 계획이다. 연맹 관계자는 "베이스캠프에는 방송, 카메라 기자 등 비전문 인력이 많아 카트만두에서 수색인력을 데려와야 한다"며 "셰르파들이 직접 수색하고 헬리콥터로도 살펴볼 계획"이라고 말했다. 연맹은 사무실에 별도로 사고대책반을 꾸리는 방안도 검토하고 있다. 박 대장은 히말라야 8,000ｍ급 14좌 가운데 하나인 안나푸르나의 남벽에 새로운 길을 개척하기 위해 등반을 시작했다. 그는 남벽을 등반하는 과정에서 남의 도움을 받지 않고 지금까지 아무도 오르지 않은 길로 안나푸르나 정상에 오를 계획이었다. 남벽은 길이가 3,500ｍ에 달하고 해발 5,000ｍ 전진 베이스캠프에서 정상까지 눈이 쌓이지 않을 정도로 가파른 암벽이 2,000ｍ나 이어진다. (연합)