The Korea Herald

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'No-hands' Korean climber conquers Mount Lhotse

By a2016032

Published : May 22, 2017 - 14:19

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Kim Hong-bin, who lost all of his fingers to frostbite during a climb of the West Buttress of Mount McKinley in 1991, has succeeded in reaching the summit of the world's fourth-highest spot, Mount Lhotse in the Himalayas, his expedition team said Monday.

"Kim reached the top of Mount Lhoste on Friday after he arrived in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on March 24," the team said.  

South Korean climber Kim Hong-bin (Yonhap) South Korean climber Kim Hong-bin (Yonhap)

  The successful climb to the 8,516-meter mountain ended his long journey to conquer all 14 of the mountains over 8,000 meters above sea level in the Himalayan region, called the "Eight Thousanders."

Kim had to give up his 10th attempt in 2015 halfway, as a devastating earthquake struck near Kathmandu in central Nepal in April that year, killing about 9,000 people.

Kim has completed scaling the highest peaks on the world's seven continents, including Lenin Peak (7,134m), Aconcagua (6,962m) and McKinley (6,194m) since 1995, overcoming his physical disadvantages. (Yonhap)