KATHMANDU (Yonhap News) -- The Himalayan search for renowned South Korean mountaineer Park Young-seok and his two missing teammates has ended for the year due to concerns about the safety of rescue climbers, an official said Saturday, pledging to resume operations next year.

"We've ended this year's search as winter is coming soon and snow and stones keep falling on the presumed area of disappearance," said Lee In-jeong, head of the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) that has led the search operations, during an interview in the Nepalese capital.

"We will continue the search next year," he said.

Lee said that he and family members will fly aboard a helicopter Sunday over the region where the three are believed to have gone missing before holding a memorial service for them at the base camp.

Park, Kang Ki-seok and Shin Dong-min were on a mission to Annapurna when their base lost contact with them on Oct. 18.

Annapurna is one of the world's 14 highest peaks, which are collectively called the "eight-thousanders," since each is at least 8,000 meters above sea level.

Park, 47, is one of the world's most successful climbers. In 2005, he became the first in the world to complete the true Adventurers' Grand Slam, which entails reaching the North Pole and the South Pole, and scaling the 14 eight-thousanders and the Seven Summits, which are the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

Park is the first of four South Koreans to have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders. He has already scaled Annapurna and returned this time to try a different route on the mountain's southern side.