Missing during descent in 1999... Yonsei University Mountaineering Club Expedition Member
Captain Kim's Family: "Kim Hong-bin Said He Wants to Be Buried in the Mountains Without Causing Trouble If an Accident Occurs" ...Search Operations Suspended
A jacket and flag bearing the Yonsei University Mountaineering Club logo were found alongside the body of Mr. Heo, who went missing 22 years ago near the Broad Peak base camp in the Himalayas. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] While mountaineer Captain Kim Hong-bin went missing after being stranded on Broad Peak (8047m) in the Himalayas, the body of another Korean mountaineer who went missing 22 years ago was found near the local base camp (4950m).
According to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the mountaineering community on the 26th, a foreign climbing team found the body of a Korean man, Mr. Heo, near the Broad Peak base camp around mid-month.
The body, weathered, was discovered during a brief thaw in the local snow. Along with the body, a jacket and flag from Yonsei University Mountaineering Club were found, which helped confirm Mr. Heo’s identity. An acquaintance of the deceased Mr. Heo is scheduled to visit Broad Peak at the end of this month to recover the body.
The deceased Mr. Heo (aged 27 at the time) went missing on July 29, 1999, while climbing Broad Peak as part of the Yonsei University Mountaineering Club expedition. He disappeared while descending after giving up the climb at an altitude of 7300m.
Other members climbing with Mr. Heo realized the next day that he was missing and began a search, but only some personal belongings believed to be his were found.
Later, in 2005, Captain Park Young-seok, who visited for a K2 climb, attached a memorial plaque at the memorial rock in the K2 base camp to honor two mountaineers, including Mr. Heo, who died there.
Finding bodies of those missing in the harsh environment of the Himalayas is very rare. Previously, in September 2009, the bodies of climbers Min Jun-young and Park Jong-sung, who lost contact while climbing the north face of Himalaya Hiunchuli, were found in July 2019 after 10 years, but most other missing persons’ bodies have not been found.
Captain Park Young-seok, who had memorialized Mr. Heo, also disappeared in October 2011 while pioneering the Korean route on Annapurna and was never found.
Meanwhile, the search operation for Captain Kim Hong-bin, who went missing after climbing Broad Peak in the Himalayas, has been suspended. The Gwangju City Accident Response Committee stated that Kim’s wife realistically believed survival was unlikely and requested the suspension of the search, and the decision to stop the search was made respecting the family’s wishes.
A committee official said, "Captain Kim had often said that if an accident happened on the mountain, he did not want to cause secondary accidents or trouble and wanted to be buried in the mountain," adding, "Kim’s wife also felt burdened by sending helicopters but wanted to try searching once as a family member."
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