The North Face, the outdoor brand of Youngone Outdoor, said on the 12th that expedition leader Kim Young-mi (44, The North Face athlete team), a leading mountaineer representing Korea and an in-house explorer, won the 24th Korea Mountaineering Award.
At the Mountaineers' Day 2025 commemoration ceremony hosted the previous day by the Korean Alpine Federation, Kim received the 24th Korea Mountaineering Award in recognition of a solo, unsupported crossing on foot of the Antarctic continent (1,786 km) accomplished early this year. Kim holds records that include summiting the highest peaks on the seven continents, climbing Lhotse, taking part in pioneering a new route on Everest's southwest face, and reaching the South Pole without resupply in 2023.
In addition to leader Kim, athletes on The North Face athlete team have also reported a string of awards this year. In Jan., ice climber Lee Young-geon (31) won the men's lead institutional sector at the Cheongsong Ice Climbing World Cup 2025, and in Mar., Lee and Shin Un-seon (44) competed together at the Ice Climbing World Cup 2025 in Edmonton, Canada, where they captured men's and women's titles in the lead institutional sector.
Kim Ji-seop (37), ranked No. 1 domestically under the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and the top Asian finisher in the 2024 UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) MCC (40 km distance) institutional sector, won the 50 km institutional sector at the international trail running race TNF 100 Thailand 2025 in Jan. In Feb., freestyle skier Lee Seung-hoon (19), a member of the national team, achieved a milestone by becoming the first Korean freestyle skier to win a gold medal at the Harbin Asian Winter Games 2025.
Seo Chae-hyun (21), known as the face of Korean sport climbing, won the women's lead institutional sector at the International Federation of Sport Climbing Uzhang World Cup 2025 held in Apr. and at the International Federation of Sport Climbing Chamonix World Cup 2025 held in Jul. Shim Jae-deok (56) took first place in the 51 km institutional sector at the Dynafit Taebaek Trail 2025.
Sung Ga-eun, president of Youngone Outdoor, said, "We are very proud and grateful that explorers on The North Face athlete team and athletes across various disciplines continue to deliver meaningful results," and added, "We will continue to provide diverse and meticulous support."