Oh Eun-sun

3.1. Early Activities

Oh Eun-sun's initial foray into mountaineering began during her university years. In 1993, she embarked on her first international expedition as a team member of the first South Korean women's Everest expedition, led by the late Ji Hyeon-ok. This experience laid the groundwork for her ambitious career. Eleven years later, in 2004, she successfully summited Mount Everest, becoming the first South Korean and Asian female mountaineer to achieve a solo ascent of the world's highest peak. She once described mountain climbing as an "addiction, which is much stronger than any drug."

3.2. Seven Summits

Oh Eun-sun's early career also saw her pursue the challenge of the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent. She completed this impressive feat in a relatively short period, becoming the first Korean woman to do so.

Her Seven Summits ascents include:

• Mount Elbrus (Europe, 19 K ft ^{(5.64 K m)}): August 24, 2002 (East Peak on August 23, West Peak on August 24)
• Denali (North America, 20 K ft ^{(6.19 K m)}): May 24, 2003, achieved as the first solo ascent by an Asian woman.
• Aconcagua (South America, 23 K ft ^{(6.96 K m)}): January 9, 2004
• Mount Everest (Asia, 29 K ft ^{(8.85 K m)}): May 20, 2004, also as the first solo ascent by an Asian woman.
• Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa, 19 K ft ^{(5.90 K m)}): August 19, 2004
• Mount Kosciuszko (Australia, 7.3 K ft ^{(2.23 K m)}): November 12, 2004
• Vinson Massif (Antarctica, 16 K ft ^{(4.89 K m)}): December 19, 2004
• Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania, 16 K ft ^{(4.88 K m)}): December 3, 2006

3.3. Challenge of the 14 Eight-thousanders

Oh Eun-sun's pursuit of the fourteen 8,000-meter peaks involved a rapid series of ascents, attracted significant public attention due to competition with other climbers, and concluded with her claimed ascent of Annapurna.

4.1. Initial Allegations

Doubts about Oh Eun-sun's Kangchenjunga ascent first surfaced due to a blurry photograph purportedly taken at the summit. This photograph, the only visual evidence of her ascent, was deemed too unclear to definitively confirm her position on the summit. When doubts were initially raised in Korea, Oh Eun-sun held a press conference where she tearfully explained that the blurriness was "unavoidable due to fog and a violent snowstorm."

However, further questions emerged from the testimonies of some Sherpas who had accompanied her. While one Sherpa initially asserted that Oh had indeed reached the summit, claiming familiarity with the mountain's layout, Edurne Pasaban, Oh's main rival, later spoke with other Sherpas who claimed Oh had not reached the summit.

Crucially, Elizabeth Hawley, a respected American Himalayan chronicler and the unofficial arbiter of Himalayan climbing records, initially marked Oh's Kangchenjunga summit as "disputed" in her meticulously kept Himalayan Database. This decision came after Pasaban provided Hawley with information and observations. Hawley further explained her decision on April 24, 2010, stating that Oh's summit photograph showed her standing on bare rock, whereas Pasaban's team, who were on the mountain at the same time, had photos showing them on snow at the summit. Hawley also stated that two of the three Sherpas who climbed with Oh claimed she did not reach the summit.

Additionally, Ferran Latorre, a Spanish climber, stated that a green rope fixed by Oh's team, visible in her summit picture, stopped 656 ft ^{(200 m)} short of the actual summit. Eberhard Jurgalski of 8000ers.com, a website dedicated to mountaineering records, acknowledged the confusion surrounding the claims, stating, "It's all mixed up, you cannot say what is true and what's invented."

4.2. Oh Eun-sun's Rebuttal

Oh Eun-sun and her sponsor, Black Yak, consistently defended the validity of her Kangchenjunga ascent against these allegations. While Oh was still climbing Annapurna in April 2010, Black Yak issued a press release on her behalf. They stated that several teams were on Kangchenjunga at the time of Oh's ascent, and none had expressed doubts about her summit at that point. They also pointed out that Pasaban herself had written, "Korean Oh Eun Sun just reached the top in spite of the wind," seemingly confirming the ascent at the time.

Black Yak's statement argued that the Kangchenjunga summit is not visible by telescope even in good weather, making it unsurprising that visual verification was difficult. They noted that Oh was last seen at 28 K ft ^{(8.40 K m)} just 3 hours and 40 minutes before her claimed summit time, which they asserted was a realistic timeframe for veteran climbers. Regarding the fixed rope, they claimed the final 656 ft ^{(200 m)} of the mountain are "comparatively gentle, so fixed rope is not a necessary option," and that other climbers, including Pasaban, had scaled that portion without fixed rope.

After descending from Annapurna on May 3, Oh Eun-sun personally addressed the allegations, expressing sadness about the situation. She claimed that KBS Television had video and photographic evidence of her summit that had not yet been made public. She challenged Pasaban's claims regarding Sherpa testimonies, asking why the names of these Sherpas had not been disclosed. (Pasaban later named seven Sherpas on May 4, explaining she had initially withheld names because some were still working for Oh.) Oh Eun-sun also stated that she had no plans to re-climb Kangchenjunga to prove her ascent.

4.3. Elizabeth Hawley's Stance and Discrepancies

Elizabeth Hawley's position on Oh Eun-sun's Kangchenjunga claim evolved as more information became available. On May 3, 2009, after Oh's claimed Kangchenjunga ascent, Oh met with Hawley in Kathmandu for an hour-long discussion. Hawley reportedly congratulated Oh after she affirmed her claim to have conquered all 14 eight-thousanders. Hawley initially told the press, "Oh will be credited for her climb to Kangchenjunga," but added, "Her account was completely different from Pasabán's so I really don't know who is right." She maintained that her database would continue to list the climb as "disputed" unless Pasaban withdrew her complaint.

Despite the initial "congratulations," Hawley's skepticism grew. She later publicly stated, "I think it's likely that Miss Oh's climb is going to be disputed for the rest of her life," and observed that evidence was "piling up" against Oh's claim. At the time of Hawley's death in 2018, the record remained disputed in her database, with plans for further research. This reflects the deep discrepancies in accounts and the challenges of verifying high-altitude ascents, particularly when reliant on limited visual evidence and conflicting human testimony.

4.4. Korean Alpine Federation's Ruling

The controversy reached a pivotal point on August 26, 2010, when the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF), South Korea's official mountaineering body, conducted a thorough investigation into Oh Eun-sun's Kangchenjunga ascent. The KAF convened a meeting with seven Korean climbers who had previously summited Kangchenjunga to review the evidence.

Following this review, the KAF officially concluded that Oh Eun-sun "probably failed" to reach the top of Kangchenjunga. Lee Eui-jae, the KAF secretary general, stated that all participants in the meeting shared the view that Oh's summit photographs did not "seem to match the actual landscape" of Kangchenjunga's summit. Furthermore, the KAF found that "Oh's previous explanations on the process of her ascent to Kangchenjunga are unreliable." This ruling was a significant blow to Oh's claim of being the first woman to complete the 14 eight-thousanders.

Oh Eun-sun responded to the KAF's verdict by calling it "a unilateral opinion." She asserted that all the Korean climbers present at the meeting "were climbers who had doubts about my achievement from the beginning, so their conclusion must have been already set."

4.5. Further Evidence and Reactions

Additional evidence further complicated the Kangchenjunga controversy. On August 27, 2010, BBC News reported that Jon Gangdal, a Norwegian climber and a member of the next team to reach Kangchenjunga's peak in May 2009, claimed he found Oh Eun-sun's Korean flag weighed down by stones, approximately 164 ft ^{(50 m)} to 197 ft ^{(60 m)} below the actual summit. This finding further supported the claims that she did not reach the very top.

The KAF's ruling and the emerging evidence prompted Elizabeth Hawley to suggest that Oh's only choice now was to re-climb Kangchenjunga with "lots of clear photos." While the Nepalese government and the Nepal Mountaineering Association initially recognized Oh's achievement, her claim was widely disputed by many in the international mountaineering community, including prominent figures like Reinhold Messner, who initially acknowledged her feat but whose position varied later due to the mounting evidence. The entire incident highlighted critical issues within high-altitude mountaineering regarding the verification of ascents, the reliance on photographic evidence, and the integrity of records in an increasingly competitive environment. The controversy underscored the importance of transparency and ethical conduct in such challenging pursuits.

7.1. Positive Contributions

Oh Eun-sun's initial ascents, particularly her completion of the Seven Summits as the first Korean woman and her rapid progression through the 8,000-meter peaks, were seen as remarkable feats of human endurance and determination. Her pioneering achievements inspired many, especially women, to pursue ambitious goals. Her enduring spirit of challenge and her relentless pursuit of mountaineering milestones undoubtedly contributed to the development and international recognition of South Korean mountaineering. She brought the sport into the national spotlight, showcasing the extreme physical and mental demands of high-altitude climbing to a wider audience.

7.2. Impact of Controversy and Criticism

The Kangchenjunga summit controversy had a profound and lasting impact on Oh Eun-sun's reputation and record. The official ruling by the Korean Alpine Federation that she "probably failed" to reach the summit, coupled with the consistent skepticism from respected chroniclers like Elizabeth Hawley and testimonies from other climbers, fundamentally undermined her claim to be the first woman to complete all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks.

This incident sparked critical perspectives within the global mountaineering community and society at large, raising crucial questions about ethics, integrity, and the verification process in an increasingly competitive and high-stakes sport. It highlighted the challenges of authenticating ascents in remote and dangerous environments, where objective evidence can be scarce and personal accounts may conflict. The controversy led to a more stringent examination of summit photographs and testimonies, emphasizing the need for irrefutable proof. While Oh Eun-sun remains a highly skilled and resilient climber, the unresolved nature of the Kangchenjunga dispute ensures that her record will forever be viewed through the lens of controversy, leaving a complex legacy for future generations of mountaineers and the public.