One must wonder what is at the top of the mountain for him to risk his life to climb all the time. However, the man says that simply reaching the top is a bonus. It is listening to the sounds of water and wind as he is climbing that he appreciates the most.
His name is Man-woo Kim, an author who successfully climbed Mt. Everest at age 60. He added that climbing mountains has always been an inspiration for his writing career. The Korea Daily met with Lee at his small home in Angeles National Forest.
#Life as an insurance agent
Born and raised in Incheon, South Korea, Lee studied mathematics at Yonsei University, where he also attended graduate school as an economics major. He moved to L.A. in 1980 and began working as an insurance agent at Prudential. Seven years later, he partnered with his German friend and founded Remark Pacific Insurance, which he operates to this day.
“It was excellent as I was able to meet different types of people while working in insurance,” Lee said. “It was also rewarding to be able to help Korean-Americans who didn’t speak English so well. There were obviously some difficulties. I’ve come to realize that life is about facing difficulties that are waiting for you. Once you think that you’ve overcome one difficulty, there is another one waiting for you just around the corner.”
Diligent and professional, Lee soon became immensely successful. Large golf and hotel businesses from South Korea became his clients. In 1992, he became the chairman of the Korean American Insurance and Financial Professional Association. In 2003, he became the chairman of L.A. Central Lions Club to serve the community.
#Climbing Mt. Everest at age 60
Mountain climbing is an activity that simply cannot be left out when talking about Lee. It is beyond a hobby for him as he has already climbed the Whitney, White and even Himalayas.
“There was a small mountain called Mt. An in front of our home in Incheon,” Lee said. “When I was about 5, I begged my mom to go to that mountain, but she told me that we can’t because there’s a lion there. I ended up going on my own. When I got to the top and saw the skyline, the emotion I felt was simply unforgettable.”
Since then, Lee fell in love with mountain climbing. He was a member of the climbing club in college and his affection for the outdoors continued for decades afterwards. After moving to the U.S., he also got into scuba diving, tennis and mountain biking. However, he went back to simply climbing the mountain after turning 40.
Even when Lee stopped climbing consistently in his 30s, he still at times went hiking. He started to climb actively again about 20 years ago as his passion was rekindled. Shortly after, he completed climbing the Baldy, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto on the weekends. Once he got used to climbing again, he successfully reached the top of the Whitney, Langley and White, all of which are well above 14,000 feet above sea level.
That is when he became motivated to climb the highest mountains in the world. In 2005, he climbed the McKinley in Alaska, followed by Huascaran in 2007 and the Everest in 2009. All of those mountains are well over 20,000 feet in height.
#Learning life through climbing mountains
Why is it that the climbers are so obsessed with getting to the top? They eventually have to come back down, anyway.
“That’s true,” Lee said, laughing. “The Everest is a mountain you have risk your life to climb. It’s like a life of a firefly. Even though you know that you could burn and die, you still do it anyway! For me, climbing is like meditating or fulfilling a need. I forget about all problems in life when I’m climbing and dedicate myself entirely to it.
When I’m spending a night at the top of the mountain, it’s almost as if I’m together as one with the universe. It’s a mysterious feeling you simply can’t experience in the city. It’s that mysteriousness that led me to the mountains. It’s become my life now.”
However, not all of his experiences when climbing was peaceful. His life was seriously in danger when climbing the Everest as he had to battle extreme weather conditions and altitude sickness.
“We set up our basecamp at around 16,000 above sea level,” Lee said. “Many people couldn’t make it there and went back. It was a tough climb. The pain you get from altitude sickness there is beyond your imagination. The lack of oxygen there forces you to breathe deeply at least two or three times for you to take a step forward. Even then, it’s a world that is completely different from what you experience in the city, so I kept on going. It’s not something you could understand if you’ve never done it.”
At the end of the happy, and yet painful journey, Lee always recorded his experiences through essays and poems. He has now written hundreds of essays and poems from his experience. His written work has appeared on the website of the Hanmi Alpine Club.
As his writing experience grew stronger as he continued to climb mountains, he earned the rookie awards in 2012 from Gowon Literature Awards and Korean American Christian Literature Association in 2013.
“I’d like to retire in about a year from now,” Lee said. “I want to backpack across the world and write about the people I’ve met and also the landscapes I saw. I’m working hard to get my body ready for that, while also studying world history and culture with a map in front of me. Obviously, life is unpredictable. Maybe I won’t be able to fulfill this dream, but reaching the top when I’m climbing is not as meaningful as climbing itself. So for me, preparing this trip is happiness in it of itself rather than actually traveling.”
Lee’s eyes were shining when talking about his dreams. Perhaps his eyes began glowing when he was that 5-year-old boy who begged his mother to go to the mountain in Incheon. Climbing is not much different from life. Another start is waiting at the end of every climb. When things get tough, it helps to take a break before starting again. That may be why his footsteps now seem as light as it was 60 years ago.
By Joohyun Yi
