North Face mountaineer Kim Young-mi has become the first Korean to complete a solo traverse of Antarctica.
On Saturday, The North Face announced, "Captain Kim departed from Hercules Inlet, a coastal area of Antarctica, on Nov. 8 last year (local time). She reached the South Pole at 90 degrees south latitude at 6:44 p.m. on Dec. 27, after 49 days and three hours. Then, after 69 days, eight hours, and 31 minutes of travel, she completed the approximately 1,700-kilometer solo traverse of Antarctica at 12:13 a.m. on Friday.
Captain Kim endured temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius, pulling a 100-kilogram sled by herself while crossing the Antarctic continent. Just three days before completing her journey, on Tuesday, she shared on her Instagram, "I believe in myself to finish strong because of the strength that has pushed me forward step by step so far. Aside from losing some weight, I’m healthy, free of frostbite, and moving forward in good condition." Since the start of her journey, Captain Kim has been consistently updating her progress on Instagram.
This expedition marked the final phase of Captain Kim’s "three-stage project." She began with a 724-kilometer traverse of Lake Baikal in 2017 and, in 2023, set a record as the first Asian woman to reach the South Pole solo without any resupply. She then achieved another milestone in Korean polar exploration history, completing the Antarctic traverse.
Hailing from a remote village in Gangwon Province, Captain Kim is a prominent explorer representing Korea. At the age of 28, she holds the record for being the youngest Korean to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents. In 2013, she also became the first person in the world to summit Amputse I (6,840 meters) in the Himalayas. Recognizing her contributions, she was awarded the Geosang Medal of Sports Merit in 2020.
김정훈 hun@donga.com