Youngone Outdoor's global outdoor brand, The North Face, announced on the 7th that mountaineer Kim Young-mi successfully completed a 1,715.7km solo ski traverse of Antarctica and returned home.

Kim Young-mi, who set foot on Korean soil after 103 days, departed from Hercules Inlet on the coast of Antarctica on November 8th of last year, pulled a sled weighing about 100kg, and reached the South Pole in 49 days. Afterwards, she received 20 days' worth of food and continued her traverse to the Leverett Glacier in Antarctica, achieving her goal in a total of 69 days.

Kim said, "I was alone, but I felt that there is nothing in the world that I can do alone," and, "It was a journey of pouring out the patience I learned in the mountains every day, but I endured while thinking of good people."

Kim Young-mi, who has various records such as solo reaching the South Pole and completing the youngest of the seven summits on the Korean continent, also received the Order of Sporting Merit in 2020.

Sung Ga-eun, president of Youngone Outdoor, said, "We welcome Kim Young-mi, who has left a great achievement in the history of polar exploration and returned home in good health," and, "We will continue to spare no support for explorers and athletes in various fields."

The North Face provided financial support for Kim's expedition, as well as technical support such as the development of customized functional clothing, and plans to release a documentary about Kim's solo crossing of Antarctica.