Posted January. 12, 2004 23:28,
The expedition, commanded by 41-year-old climber Park Young-seok of the Dongguk University mountaineering club (and now sponsored by Goldwin Korea), is scheduled to arrive at the South Pole on January 13.
The expedition is currently located 89 degrees and 41 minutes south latitude, 35 kilometers away from the South Pole as of January 12. If the current pace is maintained, they will arrive at South Pole in the morning of January 13. It has been 44 days since the expedition, sponsored by Dong-A Ilbo, left Hercules, located on the northwestern coast of Antarctica, on November 30, 2003. The total number of kilometers traveled by the expedition is 1134.7.
If they reach South Pole on schedule, they will set a new world record for an unsupported trek. An unsupported trek is when a team travels on foot or by ski without any externally provided equipment or food supplies. The previous record for an unsupported trek is 48 days that a duo including Tim Jarvis of the United Kingdom made in December of 1999.
It will be the third time a Korean team has completed a successful unsupported Antarctic polar expedition since Heo Yeong-hos (age 50) expeditions in 1994 and in 1997.
The BBC and the Associated Press reported that 38-year-old Fiona Thornewill arrived at the South Pole on January 10 in 42 days. Her record-setting time will be disputed, however, because she began her trek 30 kilometers away from Hercules.