An expedition team, including a disabled man, poses at a 5,380-meter peak in the Himalayas, Nepal, on Tuesday. ( Yonhap News)
An expedition group including two intellectually challenged hikers and their parents climbed a 5,380-meter peak of the Himalayas on Tuesday.
Sule, a social enterprise based in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said Thursday that the expedition was now descending after scaling to the summit Kokyo-Ri at around 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The team departed for Nepal on May 20.
The group consists of 13 members.
They include Kim Chang-il, 22, who has Down syndrome and his mother Choi Young-mi, who had breast cancer surgery; Kim Dong-hyun, 19, with autism and his father Kim Seong-jae; three professional climbers and two video photographers. Kim Chang-il climbed up to 3,440 meters but did not go higher due to altitude sickness.
They are going to provide voluntary services at a local school about an hour’s drive from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, Sule said.
By Chun Sung-woo (
swchun@heraldcorp.com)