Korean climbers claim first ascent of unclimbed summit in Nepal

A Korean expedition team has become the first in the world to reach the summit of Sat Peak, an unclimbed mountain in the Kanchenjunga range in Nepal, the Korea Alpine Federation said Saturday. The peak stands at 6,220 meters (20,406 feet) high.

Sat Peak in the Kanchenjunga range of the Nepal Himalayas [KOREA ALPINE FEDERATION]

A Korean expedition team has become the first in the world to reach the summit of Sat Peak, an unclimbed mountain in the Kanchenjunga range in Nepal, the Korea Alpine Federation said Saturday. The peak stands at 6,220 meters (20,406 feet) high.

Led by expedition leader Ahn Chi-young, the seven-member team including climbers Lee Sang-guk and Lee Eui-jun, reached the summit at 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

After setting up a base camp in an upper gorge in the Naphinda Glacier area, the team established a new route via the east and southeast faces of Sat Peak. Previously, an Italian expedition had reached a forepeak, sitting at 6,100 meters, in 2022 via the same route, but did not reach the summit.

The climbers are descending to Camp 3 after the ascent and are expected to return to base camp on Sunday. The Korean expedition is scheduled to return home on May 10.

The expedition climbed in alpine style, ascending with only minimal climbing gear and food and without fixed ropes or external support.

The Korean Sat Peak expedition team pose for a photo. [KOREA ALPINE FEDERATION]

The climb took a total of five days, including a day spent waiting.

They departed their base camp on Tuesday, set up Camp 1 below the east face, and advanced to Camp 2 the following day. However, they were forced to wait at Camp 2 on Thursday due to bad weather.

On Friday, the fourth day, they established Camp 3 and finally reached the summit on Saturday afternoon.

“The Korean expedition’s first ascent of Sat Peak is an achievement that demonstrates the strength and indomitable spirit of Korean mountaineers,” said Korea Alpine Federation President Cho Jwa-jin. “I am proud of the team for reaching the summit in the traditional alpine style.”

The Sat Peak Expedition consisted of seven members — Ahn, Lee Sang-guk, Lee Eui-jun, Baek Jong-min, Choi Hyeong-uk, Bae Seo-young and Choi Ji-ho. The Korea Alpine Federation directly selected the members and secured funding, marking the first time it had done so in 27 years, since the 1999 Kanchenjunga expedition.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM YOUNG-JU [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]