30s Korean Hiker Missing on Yakushima Island, Japan... "Search Difficult"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Kwan-joo] A Korean hiker who visited Yakushima (屋久島) Island, located south of Kyushu, Japan, has gone missing.

According to Kyodo News on the 28th, the Kagoshima Prefectural Police in Japan announced that a Korean man in his 30s, Kim, who set out to climb Yakushima's Miyanouradake (宮之浦岳), has gone missing.

Kim stated in the documents submitted at the trailhead that he would enter the mountain at 11 a.m. on the 23rd, stay overnight at a mountain lodge, and descend on the 24th. However, when Kim's friend lost contact with him, they reported it to the police on the 26th. Currently, heavy snowfall is preventing the police from conducting a search.

Miyanouradake stands at 1,936 meters, similar in height to Hallasan. It is the highest mountain not only on Yakushima but also in Kyushu.