Two South Koreans fell to their deaths while climbing a treacherous course in the Himalayas, weeks after three colleagues went missing and were presumed dead, mountain authorities said Saturday.
Kim Hyung-Il, 43, leader of the K2 Extreme team, and Chang Ji-Myeong were killed Friday when they fell as they were ascending on the notorious Cholatse north face, the Korean Alpine Federation said.
Their bodies were later recovered by two colleagues who left the base camp in search of them after radio contact was lost.
Kim and Chang, who had set an ambitious goal of covering the roundabout course to reach the 6,440-meter (21,252-feet) Cholatse's summit within 36 hours, were killed at an altitude of 5,100 meters.
Earlier this month, Kim postponed a plan to climb Cholatse and joined rescue efforts for the three South Korean mountaineers who went missing on October 18 and were presumed dead while trying to scale the Annapurna peak.
South Korean climbers reportedly feel pressure from their sponsoring companies to achieve outstanding feats by setting some records or attempting ascents on dangerous courses.
