National Pukyong University Mountaineering Club and Busan Hope Expedition Team Activities
Death During Descent After Oxygen-Free Ascent of Everest
The memorial book for the late Seo Seong-ho, a legendary representative mountaineer of Busan, titled “A Life That Became the Sky at 8000m” (Seo Seong-ho Memorial Association), was published last month.
It has been 10 years since Seo Seong-ho, who climbed all 12 of the 8000m peaks, died during his descent after summiting the world’s highest peak, Everest, without supplemental oxygen in 2013.
This mountaineer enrolled at the National Pukyong National University in 1998 and was active in the university’s mountaineering club, winning the Presidential Cup climbing competition and the national sports festival university division team championship in 2003, climbing Denali (6194m), the highest peak in North America, in 2004, and successfully summiting Pumori in the Himalayas in 2005.
He then participated as a member of the “Dynamic Busan Hope Expedition Team” (led by Hong Bo-seong), which was formed with the goal of completing all 14 of the 8000m peaks. From 2006, starting with Everest, he climbed 12 of the 8000m peaks as well as Pumori (7161m) and many other high mountains around the world.
After climbing Everest in 2006 using supplemental oxygen, he attempted a no-oxygen ascent again in 2013. He challenged the “From 0 to 8848” project, which involved starting from sea level at the Bay of Bengal in India by kayak, then continuing by bicycle, on foot, and climbing to the summit at 8848m using only human power. However, he died of exhaustion at the last camp at 7950m during his descent.
The late team leader Kim Chang-ho also participated in this expedition. The two showed perfect partnership by successfully summiting most of the 11 shared 8000m peaks on their first attempts without failure. Kim also reached the summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen in 2013 alongside Seo, but he died five years later in 2018 in an avalanche on Gurja Himal (7193m) in Nepal.
The book “A Life That Became the Sky at 8000m”, published by the Seo Seong-ho Memorial Association (Chairman Hong Bo-seong), narrates Seo’s climbing journey step by step.
It records from the beginning when he knocked on the door of the mountaineering club seeking romance upon entering university, to climbing and descending the high peak Pumori in Nepal, where he witnessed the deaths of two fellow climbers and was deeply shocked.
It also documents the countless hardships he had to overcome at each 8000m peak, and how he never lost his dream of climbing despite his father’s death and financial difficulties.
After Seo’s death, the Seo Seong-ho Memorial Association was formed and has carried out various projects to honor his achievements and continue his unfinished aspirations, including memorial projects, fostering and supporting outstanding mountaineers, youth and university mountaineer development programs, and support for overseas expeditions. The Memorial Association will disband after publishing this memorial book, marking the end of its activities after 10 years.
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