The search for South Korean mountaineers lost in the Himalayas last fall, including a renowned climber Park Young-seok, is to be resumed, officials said Monday.

Officials at the Park Young-seok Exploration and Culture Foundation said that a team of five rescue climbers left for Kathmandu, Nepal, from Incheon Airport on Monday morning to once again carry out the search mission for Park and his two teammates, Shin Dong-min and Kang Ki-seok.

The funeral for the three was already held in November last year, about a month after they went missing during their climb up Annapurna in the Himalayas. Rescue workers suspended search operations in late October after a 10-day search, citing safety concerns.

“As a friend of Park for more than 30 years, I cannot just leave him and his men there,” Kim Jin-seong, the leader of the team, said. “I want to retrieve his belongings and remains, and bring them back to his family.”

Annapurna is one of the world’s 14 highest peaks, which are collectively called the “eight-thousanders” since each is at least 8,000 meters above sea level. Park had previously reached the top of Annapurna and was climbing a new route on the mountain’s southern side. (Yonhap News)