KOREAN K-2 EXPEDITION LEADER SUNG-WON LEE

First expedition to K-2 arrives in capital

MAY4-2000

By Asem Mustafa Awan

ISLAMABAD — South Korean K-2 expedition advance party arrived in the capital on Thursday.

The team is attempting K-2, 8611 metres from the South South East Ridge after an unsuccessful bid in 1999.

The 11 member team is led by 40 year old Sung-Won Lee who has been to Pakistan four times with two unsuccessful attempts on Nanga Parbat in 1990 and 1992. The other times he visited the Karakorums and Himalayas as trekker.

Ace climber Jung-Hun Park from Kyeong-Nam is the climbing leader and has already attempted K-2 in 1999 reaching 7700 metres with seven climbers in all managing the same altitude (The Nation has the exclusive).

Jung-Hun Park at (29) is one the finest climbers at the Korean front with five 8000ers to his credit including summits of Everest South West Face, Annapurna South Face, Cho Oyu, Shishapangma and Nanga Parbat.

Yeon-Ryong Kang (27) speaking on behalf of the expedition said," We failed last year but this year we have come early and all the climbers except one member Byung-Chan Kim have experience of climbing in 8000 metre terrain."

"The South Koreans were the last team in 1999 to leave the Base Camp of K-2," said Kang adding," There are only three climbers who have made the top of K-2 and that was in1986 and since that time the peak has eluded us despite four attempts."

Kang is one of the three Koreans who has climbed Gasherbrum IV the most toughest of all the peaks in Pakistan besides the five North Faces in the Alps. He has also climbed Shivling in Indian Garwal.

"We have a very strong team and we have planned our route in a systematic way. We have planned our summit bid in late June and early July and if weather and snow conditions are OK we will be on the summit."

He said," We are attempting the peak in Semi Alpine Style and we are taking 3000 metres of ropes as last time in 1999 we took 1000 metres of ropes which was not enough."

The team has planned the attempt by hours and according to the previous experience it shouldn't take us more than 8-12 hours from Base Camp at 4850 metres to Camp 1 at 6300 metres, Camp 1 (6300m) to Camp 2 at 7100 metres (takes 4 to 6 hours), Camp 2 (7100m) to Camp 3 offers deep snow and we may consider going via ridge if the snow is deep but in ideal condition it is 7 to 10 hours hard work and then it is march to the top."

"It is all weather dependent and acclimatization of the climbers who will be strong and ready for the final push when the occasion arises."

The second member of the advance party Jung-Hyun Lee (29) has the summit of Broad Peak in 1995 in Pakistan besides Khan Tengri and Pobeda in Pamir Range in former Soviet Union.

Other members of the team are: Jong-Kuk Mun (32), Jung-Hyun Yun (30), Byung-Chan Kim (34), Chi-Won Yun (30), Woo-Pyoung Joo (25), Joo-Hyeng Kim and Soon-Ook Yoo (27). Semi Alpine Style, 3000 metres of rope. Summit bid in late June and early July weather permitting.

CAPTION: Route MAP and Leader's photo if possible