"A challenge that has all the conditions is no longer called a challenge. Climbing with an intact body and climbing with all ten fingers are different."
Kim Hong-bin (57), famous for 'a climber who lost ten fingers', wrote on his blog.
He expressed his will, saying, "It is more important to evaluate the conditions under which the person overcomes rather than what kind of danger. I believe that the story of the climber and the will to overcome will be the greatest. .
Climber Hongbin Kim was born in Goheung, Jeollanam-do.
I have longed for mountains since high school, but when I joined the college mountaineering club, I started to have a serious relationship with the mountains.
During his sophomore year in college, he participated in the Gwangju and Jeonnam rock climbing competitions, and his skills improved so much that he finished second.
However, in 1991, while climbing McKinley (6,194 m), the highest peak in North America, in a disaster, he lost all ten fingers and had his wrists amputated.
For him, the mountains were everything, and the frustration was great and the wandering time was long.
'But let's start again. I had hope that I could do it, and I reaffirmed my resolve by climbing and rolling all the mountains on the Korean Peninsula from Mt. Baekdu to Mt. Halla.
It was not an easy journey, but as I climbed and climbed the idea that I could give hope to myself and others in the same situation as myself, I was able to embrace hope again.
With the help of his seniors and juniors, he succeeded in recovering with the help of his seniors and juniors, despite the prejudice of 'can he climb the mountain again?' and climbed to the top of the 14th peak in the Himalayas.
In 2009, he climbed the highest peaks on 7 continents for the first time in 13 years and conquered 13 of the 14 Himalayas.
This is the first record that no one has ever achieved as a disabled person.
We succeeded in climbing 13 Himalayas in 2019, and now only the last one, Broad Peak (8,47m), is left.
It was originally planned to climb last year, but had to be postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.
He took on the challenge with the support of the people, and was able to inform the people tired of Corona 19 that he finished 14th on the 18th.
He left a message that he wanted to be a comfort to the people who were exhausted from Corona 19 after finishing the course and left a deep impression.
However, after accomplishing the feat of a lifetime, he shocked us by leaving the news that he had disappeared during the descent within just one day.
'The challenge will continue while holding ten fingers. As he said, “The icon of challenge will bring a great message to this society.” The people overcame prejudice and limitations with an indomitable will and wrote the history of being the “first person”, and he said that he would write a miracle of “return safely” I am praying.
(Photo = provided by the Gwangju City Mountaineering Federation, Yonhap News)