For intrepid Korean, few mountains left to climb

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For intrepid Korean, few mountains left to climb

He is the mountain man of Korea.
He’s conquered 16 of the highest peaks on Earth, all above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) high.
With that kind of impressive resume, people may think that for Um Hong-gil, 47, climbing Vinson Massif, Antarctica’s highest mountain at 4,897 meters (16,066 feet), would be a relative cakewalk.
But the world-famous mountaineer said it was not easy to reach the summit of Vinson Massif at 8:20 p.m. on Dec. 28.
“The worst enemies were the blistering cold and the gusty wind that was so strong I thought it would blow me away,” Um said.
“The only thing that worked for us was our determination.”
It took almost 10 hours in minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature with winds of 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) per hour for Um and his climbing partner, Go In-kyeong, the chairman of Pagoda Academy, to conquer Vinson Massif.
In 1988 Um reached the top of Everest. Then he conquered K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, Shishapangma, the summit of Shishapangma, and Yalungkhang.
In 2000 Um was awarded the Himalayan Crown when he reached the summit of the 14 highest peaks.
He is the first South Korean and the seventh climber in the world to hold this distinction. Go was also on the expedition team when Um made his historic record on Mount Lhotse Shar.


By Kim Choon-sik JoongAng Ilbo/ Lee Yang-kyoung Staff Reporter [enational@joongang.co.kr]
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