LOS ANGELES -- A South Korean man died of a cardiovascular problem while trekking last week on a long-distance route in the western United States, the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles said Thursday, urging people to refrain from extreme exertion.

The 65-year-old man, whose name was not released, collapsed on Friday while walking on a mountain road in the vicinity of San Diego, California, on the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs 2,663 miles from the US-Mexico border through California, Oregon and Washington, according to the South Korean diplomatic mission. The trail, which reaches its northern terminus at the US-Canada border, is known as a challenging through-hiking and backpacking route through some of the country's most spectacular wilderness ranges.