The North Face, the outdoor brand of Youngone Outdoor, is taking the lead in advancing sport climbing in Korea and broadening its base.
According to related industries on the 29th, Youngone Outdoor officially sponsored the "2025 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Seoul Sport Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championships," held 20–28th, and on the 27th hosted the "29th North Face Cup National Sport Climbing Competition," which it co-organized and co-hosted with the Korean Alpine Federation.
At the "Seoul Sport Climbing World Championships," Seo Chae-hyun, an athlete with The North Face, won bronze in the women's lead event, and Jeong Ji-min finished fourth in speed. In addition, the Korea national sport climbing team, which The North Face has sponsored since 2010, won one gold medal and two bronze medals.
Launched in the Korean market in 1997, The North Face, after rising to No. 1 in industry sales in 2003, held the "North Face Cup National Sport Climbing Competition," and in 2005 founded the "TNF Athlete Team," systematically discovering and supporting athletes in various disciplines, including sport climbing.
Sport climbing was adopted as an official event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where Seo Chae-hyun of The North Face drew attention by reaching the final in the combined event. After being selected for the national team in 2019 as the youngest ever at 15, Seo rose to No. 1 in the world rankings the same year.
To broaden the base of sport climbing in Korea, the company also held an amateur competition at the same venue during the world championships.
This year's "North Face Cup National Sport Climbing Competition" targeted "amateur club members," not "professional athletes," to contribute to broadening the base and popularizing sport climbing in Korea, and was held on the competition wall used for the Sport Climbing World Championships.
At the event, athletes from the TNF Athlete Team and leading figures in Korea's sport climbing—Seo Chae-hyun, Jeong Ji-min, Cheon Jong-won, and Shin Eun-cheol—participated and taught advanced sport climbing techniques to amateur club members.
Seong Ga-eun, president of Youngone Outdoor, said, "The North Face Cup National Sport Climbing Competition has established itself as a representative sport climbing festival in Korea," adding, "This year, while officially sponsoring the first-ever Sport Climbing World Championships held in Korea, it is all the more meaningful that we could, even in a small way, contribute to our long-supported athletes and the Korea national sport climbing team achieving outstanding results in various competitions."