KATHMANDU: A three-member team from the Korean Alpine Federation has made history on Sat Peak (6,220m), completing the first-ever recorded ascent of the unclimbed peak in Nepal's Kanchenjunga region on Friday afternoon — planting a flag on a summit no human had stood on before.

Team leader An Chi Young, 49, Lee Euijoon, 25, and Baek Jongmin, 53, reached the summit at 3:15 pm Nepali time on May 2 and are now descending, according to Ngawa Nima Sherpa, Managing Director at Sora Adventure Treks and Expedition, which organised and handled the expedition from Kathmandu.

The achievement caps a months-long effort that began when the KAF team was formally flagged off in Kathmandu in April — with Korean Ambassador to Nepal Park Tae-Young, Department of Tourism Director General Ram Krishna Lamichhane, and NMA President Phur Gelje Sherpa all in attendance to wish the team well. Several previous attempts on Sat Peak had failed to reach the summit, making Friday's ascent all the more significant.

The team climbed in alpine style — without Nepali guides — approaching via the Taplejung–Ghunsa–Lonak–Tshima Glacier–Base Camp route, a caravan spanning approximately 6.3 km from base camp to summit in the remote Janak Himal range of Taplejung district.

Ngawa Nima Sherpa, who served as both organiser and liaison officer for the expedition, was effusive in his reaction. 

"This remarkable climb marks a historic milestone — the first recorded human summit of this magnificent peak," he said. "Your achievement not only opens a new chapter in Himalayan exploration but also strengthens the bond between Nepal and Korea in the world of adventure."

For Nepal's mountaineering sector, the first ascent of Sat Peak is a reminder of how much uncharted vertical territory the country still holds — and how virgin peak expeditions of this kind, when well-organised and diplomatically framed, can serve simultaneously as exploration, bilateral diplomacy, and destination promotion for regions like Kanchenjunga that remain far less visited than the Khumbu or Annapurna circuits.

Ambassador Park had noted at the flagging-off ceremony that as Nepal is already a popular destination for Korean travellers, the KAF expedition would help attract more Korean adventure enthusiasts to the Kanchenjunga region specifically. NMA President Phur Gelje Sherpa added that the association would work jointly with KAF to strengthen tourism ties — and noted that Nepal will host the General Assembly of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) from October 28 to 31 this year.

Team leader An Chi Young had described the expedition as more than a climbing objective. "We are excited to embark on the SAT Peak expedition as it aims to further strengthen cooperation between climbers of the two countries," he had said before departure.

On Friday afternoon, that ambition was realised.