RUPANDEHI: The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation (UHGHF) held the award ceremony of its sixth Book Review Contest at Sundi Secondary School in Rupandehi, distributing buffaloes, cash prizes, and certificates to 35 students in a celebration of reading, independent learning, and academic achievement.

Foundation Chairman Captain Um Hong Gil personally presided over the ceremony, joined by Korean philanthropist Go EunByul, Mayadevi Rural Municipality Chair Dhurba Narayan Chaudhary, Education Officer Narayan Prasad Lamichhane, Ward-4 Chairman Arun Kumar Tiwari, and School Management Committee Chairman Bhadai Lodh, along with students, teachers, and parents.

Ten students who secured first and second positions across the contest's five levels each received a buffalo as livelihood support — a total of 10 buffaloes valued at NPR 600,000. An additional 25 students received cash prizes totalling NPR 122,500 along with certificates. The award tiers are named after Nepal's iconic Himalayan peaks: Mt Everest for first place, Mt Makalu for second, Mt Dhaulagiri for third, and Mt Annapurna for fourth.

The contest is divided into five levels — Lower Basic (Grades 1–3), Medium Basic (Grades 4–6), Higher Basic (Grades 7–8), Secondary (Grades 9–10), and Higher Secondary (Grades 11–12). 

The sixth edition was announced on December 22, 2025, with students collecting books from the school library and preparing over two weeks. The competition itself was held on January 22, 2026, drawing 532 participants from Grades 1 to 12. An evaluation committee assessed submissions on January 28, ultimately selecting 35 students as awardees.

"The main objective of the programme is to promote independent learning by integrating information resources and technology, while supporting students' overall development — academic, intellectual, cultural, and emotional," said Captain Um Hong Gil.

Sundi Secondary School's relationship with UHGHF stretches back years and goes well beyond the book contest. The foundation has supported the school with an earthquake-resistant RCC building housing 11 classrooms, gender-friendly toilets, furniture, renovation of three existing buildings, an ICT lab, a library stocked with over 7,500 books, and boundary wall construction. The school, which now runs classes from Early Childhood Development through Grade 12, has over 900 students and has been recording strong results in government board examinations and regional competitions. It is the foundation's 10th Human School in Nepal.

The man behind the foundation

Captain Um Hong Gil's connection to Nepal runs deep — across 36 years of visits and 16 successful ascents of mountains above 8,000 metres, including three ascents of Mt Everest, which he first climbed in 1985. Ten of his 16 eight-thousander summits are in Nepal.

Moved by what he witnessed in Nepal's rural communities during his mountaineering expeditions, Um established the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation in Korea in 2008, began operations in Nepal in 2009, and pledged to build at least 16 schools to support physical infrastructure in rural areas. The foundation has since supported 19 Human Schools across Nepal and constructed 20 school buildings.

Beyond education, UHGHF has channelled millions of rupees into the Everest region, supporting the construction of educational, health, and cultural facilities. Among its landmark contributions is the Mountain Medicine Institute — the Namche Clinic — which serves both local communities and tourists in the Solukhumbu region. The foundation also helped rebuild monasteries in the Khumbu region damaged in the 2015 earthquakes.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Nepal, the Government of Nepal conferred honorary citizenship on Um Hong Gil in 2020 — making him one of only three foreigners to have received this honour, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"Nepal is my second home, and receiving the honorary citizenship is one of the rare moments of my life," Um has said.