The funeral ceremony of Captain Kim Hong-bin (57), who delivered hope by climbing 14 places in the Himalayas with a hand without ten fingers, was held today (8th).
At the incense burner at the entrance of Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju, today, the bereaved family, officials from the Gwangju Municipal Mountain Federation, and guests from home and abroad gathered to leave Captain Kim for the last time.
Due to social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the number of people attending the funeral is limited to 49.
The funeral ceremony began with a requiem to soothe the soul of the deceased in the Himalayas, followed by an introduction to the footsteps of Captain Kim, the first person with a disability to conquer both the world's highest peak in 7 continents and the 8,000-meter peak in the Himalayas.
When the video of Kim Jong-un's life and upbringing was revealed in the memorial video, the bereaved family and attendees burst into tears that they had been holding back.
Then, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil, Unification Minister Lee In-young, Jang Byung-wan, advisor to 2021 Kim Hong-bin Broad Peak Expedition, and Songwon University Mountaineering President Jeong Chan-deuk read the eulogy in turn.
Ryu Ju-suk, a mountaineering member of the Gwangju Health University, who built long memories with Captain Kim, read the poem to commemorate the deceased.
Following the reading of the poem, when Gwangju singer Jeong Yong-ju sang the hymn, the bereaved family and attendees shed tears once again.
Democratic presidential candidates such as Lee Nak-yeon, Jeong Se-kyun, and Park Yong-jin were present at the funeral.
In the opposition, Lee So-yeon, the wife of former Auditor General Choi Jae-hyeong, watched the final departure of Captain Kim outside the funeral hall.
Cheon Jong-won and Seo Chae-hyeon, who participated in sports climbing at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, also attended the funeral.
Cheon mourned, "As a mountaineer, I will do my best to inherit the spirit of the deceased."
The mourners who could not enter the funeral hall due to the limited number of people watched the procession of General Kim Ungu and paid tribute to the deceased.
On the 18th of last month, at 4:58 pm (local time), Kim suffered a disaster at an altitude of 7,900 m near sea level while descent from the summit of Broad Peak (8,074 m) in northeastern Kashmir, Pakistan.
The family demanded that the search be stopped as a request to prevent a secondary accident caused by search activities if Captain Kim had an accident during his lifetime, and the funeral was held with a mountain climber.
The government conferred a first-class sports medal, the 'Blue Dragon', to Captain Kim.
(Photo = Yonhap News)