Missing mountaineers sent off in solemn ceremony

Three Korean mountaineers missing in the Himalayas were sent off in a solemn ceremony in Seoul Thursday.

Families of the renowned climber Park Young-seok and his two teammates, Shin Dong-min and Kang Ki-seok, were joined by hundreds of friends and climbers at the joint memorial service at Seoul National University Hospital in the nation's capital. The funeral hall was filled with about 190 well-wishers, while others stood outside and bowed in condolence.

Park, Kang and Shin were attempting to scale Annapurna when they lost contact with their base camp on Oct. 18. The Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) led the search efforts for more than a week but couldn't find the three. The KAF suspended the search last Saturday, citing concerns about the safety of rescue climbers and said it will resume them next year.

Annapurna is one of the world's 14 highest peaks, which are collectively called the "eight-thousanders" since each is at least 8,000 meters above sea level. Park had previously reached the top of Annapurna and was climbing a new route on the mountain's southern side this year.

In his eulogy, Lee In-jeong, head of the KAF, said the missing climbers will stay in the hearts of all mountaineers.

"We will remember Park Young-seok's never-ending challenges," Lee said. "Shin Dong-min was never afraid to take the lead, and Kang Ki-seok always took care of the dirty work. We will never forget them, either."

Lee also said the KAF will offer full support to the Park Young-seok Exploration and Culture Foundation, which has been training and developing young mountaineers since March of last year.

Park, 47, was one of the world's most accomplished climbers. 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 eight-thousanders and the Seven Summits, which are the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. (Yonhap)