Korean paragliders achieve world 1st in Himalayas

Korean paragliders have flown like birds.

They started paragliding across the Himalayas in a world first atop the peak of Zani Pass (3,840 meters) in northern Pakistan and finished their flight on Monday. The feat came four days ahead of scheduled partly thanks to fine weather.

Team leader Park Jeong-heon, 40, members Hahm Yeong-min, 41, and Hong Pil-pyo 44, soared into the sky over Zani Pass. The trio flied in different directions and sought to ride on air currents to take a long-range flight.

As Park and Hong failed to catch the proper currents, however, both made emergency landings due to the danger of their gliders going astray from the target.

Hahm found a current that streamed into the direction he headed for. He started his flight at 9:30 a.m. and flew for about 32 kilometers through 4:30 p.m., the beginning of a flight expected to cover 6,000 kilometers.

Flying over high-rise peaks and ridges, Hahm landed on the feet of mountains and resumed flying repeatedly.

The first location was Mas Teges in northern Zani Pass. Soon after, the team will move to Sandru Pass and begin the next flight.

As recently when they departed Korea, the member felt very nervous. When they were staying at a hotel in Islamabad on Aug. 13, CNN reported the kidnapping of an American in Karachi. Another fear was the sound of frequent gunfire in Pakistan’s northern border areas.

Everything changed into a festival-like mood in one night, however. Aug. 14 was Pakistan’s Liberation Day, and cars carrying family members honked on streets en masse.

The team took flight again and headed to the Chitral region, the area where Zani Pass is located. They saw farmland at various sites on barren mountainous areas filled with houses. Literally, it was a village sitting in an area of the world`s highest altitude.

When they arrived at the airport, they saw airport staff and military troops lining up. Their eyes looked grim and stern.

The visitors recalled again that it was a border area with Afghanistan. Police said tribes recently exchanged gunfire and told the visitors that many were spies of the Taliban, or Afghanistan’s armed militia, and warned of the danger of camping.

As soon as the team arrived at the village of Otul in Zani Pass Wednesday last week, all villagers brought out lanterns and welcomed the strangers. The next morning, the paragliders were totally surprised to find that their gear and equipment had been opened or stolen.

A box with cookies and key equipment had disappeared. The paragliders moved around the village all day and barely recovered their items through bribery.

The weather was exceptionally nice Sunday. The paragliders held a ritual to pray to the gods of mountains, winds and the sun. They bought a goat for 100 U.S. dollars at the village and placed on an altar dried pollack, seaweed, dates and the Korean liquor soju brought from Korea.

“God of the Mountain, God of Wind, and God of the Sun, please take care of us, human birds,” said the paragliders.

Once the ritual was over, Park hurriedly proposed to go on an exercise flight. The weather was so nice that the team departed on a virgin flight on Monday.

They were felt as if they were blessed by God.

ufo@donga.com