On the Oct. 16 episode of SBS’s "Tails of Tales," subtitled "Still There: Captain Park Young-seok," the docu-series traced the relentless life of a mountaineer who chased his dream to the very end.
Among peers, Park was simply “Captain”―a once-in-a-generation leader who would sacrifice for his team and make everyone feel they belonged. He even served as a consultant on the film "Antarctic Journal." Yet outside mountaineering circles, his name never quite matched the scale of his achievements.
Park first reached the Himalayas by taking out a loan against his newlywed home. After that maiden expedition, he realized passion alone wouldn’t fund the dream―so he hit the pavement, pitching sponsors himself.
His promise was audacious: five of the Himalayan 8,000ers within a year. He delivered, summiting five peaks in just six months―an achievement that turned heads around the world.
Then he went for the full 14. Park became the eighth person to complete all 14 Himalayan 8,000-meter peaks, a journey that took eight years and two months.
He often said his strength came from his wife and two sons. With them in his heart, he set his next target: the North Pole.
At the pole, where the wind chill can plummet to minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit, every step is a gamble. Even Park had to call off that attempt after 53 grueling days.
He refused to quit. He turned to the South Pole next―and reached it in just 33 days.
Then he returned to the Arctic and stood at the North Pole, becoming the first in history to achieve the Mountaineering Grand Slam: all 14 Himalayan 8,000ers plus both poles.
With that milestone in hand, the “Captain” set a new mission: establish Korean new routes on three of the Himalaya’s most formidable walls. He headed back to the range in 2007.
Before he could complete those lines, tragedy struck―Park lost two teammates he regarded as kid brothers. The grief kept him off the mountains for a time.
Eventually, he returned to keep the promises they’d made together. He was closing in on the final route when his radio suddenly went silent.
Search teams scoured the mountain but found no trace. The Captain never came home.
After his disappearance, one familiar backpack reached his family―the one he always carried on expeditions. Inside were a family photo and a final letter from his wife.
Fourteen years on, his teammates still go back to the Himalayas, hoping to honor his wish: if he were ever to remain on the mountain, bring him home to his family. They believe, someday, they will see him again.
Some even dare to dream that in a future of advanced medicine, the Captain resting in the ice might wake just as he was. If anyone could make the impossible feel possible, it’s the Phoenix-like Captain Park Young-seok.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)