It has been reported that there are difficulties in rescuing the disabled mountain climber Kim Hong Bin (57), who had gone missing after scaling a mountain peak in Pakistan.

Kim Hong Bin is a South Korean mountain climber who lost all his fingers to frostbite. He is famous for summiting the 14 highest peaks in the world - becoming the first climber with a disability to do so. However, he had failed to return on his most recent trip as he was reported to have fallen into a crevasse while descending after summiting Broad Peak in northern Pakistan.

Kim Hong Bin's wife had pleaded in tears asking for the swift rescue of her husband. In response, the Chinese government stated it would actively conduct a search for Kim Hong Bin. 

The climber's wife held a press conference at the Gwangju National Sports Center at 2 PM on this day. She explained, "The situation is not good but we have not yet let go of hope. I hear that the weather is getting better."

She continued to explain, "We heard that the area that has been confirmed where my husband was last seen is in the Chinese territory. So the Pakistani rescue helicopter could not go without the Chinese government's approval. So the search was put on hold so I am worried because time is of the essence."

Kim Hong Bin's wife continued to say, "Kim is a strong person who has overcome many difficulties so far. He has never given up if there was at least 1% of hope. He was clearly conscious in the last phone call and had the ability to make accurate decisions."

She continued, "I believe that he will be able to return as long as we take quick action because he is definitely enduring the difficulties. I sincerely ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, government officials, and the embassy in Pakistan to quickly search the border area."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry official stated in a briefing, "China immediately formed a rescue team after receiving a request for assistance from the South Korean government. As the weather is clearing, two helicopters arrived at the 4,600-meter base camp with rescue workers and supplies to begin the search.

Kim went missing at 7,900 meters above sea level mark around midnight on the 19th while he was hiking down the mountain after delivering the news of completing the Himalayan expedition at around 4:58 a.m. on the 18th. 

Kim made a rescue call on a satellite phone at around 5:55 a.m. on the 19th. The Russian rescue team was able to find Kim's expedition team but couldn't rescue them due to inclement weather. According to the search authorities, the Pakistani military identified the signal from Kim Hong Bin's satellite phone 9 kilometers southeast of K2, which is in Chinese territory, and it is believed that Kim fell into a 15-meter crevasse on the Chinese territory during the rescue process.