Marking a decade of vertical ascents, the senior mountaineering group Cheonbonghoe is hosting a commemorative photo exhibition and photo essay publication in Seoul this November, bringing together 60- to 80-year-old climbers who have taken on Korea’s rock and ice faces.
Age usually dictates a slower pace, but for the members of Cheonbonghoe—formally known as the Insubong Thousand Ascents club—the towering granite walls of Mount Bukhansan remain a familiar canvas. Financialreview.co.kr reported that the organization is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a dedicated exhibition titled “Ten Years of Companionship, a Thousand Ascents,” running from November 18 to 24 at Gallery Arisu in Insa-dong, Seoul.
Swapping Retirement for Vertical Rock Faces
The club grew out of a shared ambition among retirees from various professional backgrounds who refused to let post-career life mean a quiet retirement. Rather than sticking to conventional hiking trails, members chose the demanding technical routes of rock and ice climbing. Insubong, the iconic granite peak towering over northern Seoul, has served as their primary training ground alongside other domestic and international summits.
Yet, the core philosophy of Cheonbonghoe rests less on raw athletic achievement and more on mutual survival. On vertical cliffs, members tie their bodies together with ropes, relying completely on the person holding the other end. That reliance has forged a tight-knit community over the past decade.
“In front of rock and ice, we put down our ages and job titles.”
said Lee Ki-sung, president of Cheonbonghoe, describing the egalitarian nature of their climbs. “A thousand ascents was not a record, but a ten-year promise we walked together.”
Capturing a Decade in Print and Pictures
The upcoming exhibition features 44 works shot by photographer Jeon Hyung-seok between 2017 and September of this year. The selection includes 42 individual portraits and two group shots, capturing climbers dangling from sheer precipices, climbing frozen waterfalls, and sharing moments of relief at mountain summits.
Running alongside the visual display is a newly published 330-page photo essay titled Thousand Ascents, authored by Jeon Wan-geun. The volume is structured into four distinct sections:
| Section | Focus |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Individual climbing records |
| Part 2 | Group activities |
| Part 3 | Future prospects for senior mountaineering |
| Part 4 | Retrospective photo gallery |
The book documents how elderly practitioners can maintain physical vigor and strong social bonds through structured, high-stakes physical pursuits.
Members Produce Exhibition and Book Opening in Seoul
Twenty-one members contributed to the production of the exhibition and book, including Chang Seung-phil, Lee Kwang-seok, Cheon Ho-sun, Jeon Yang, Kim Yoon-jong, Jeon Hyung-seok, Son In-hwan, Park Jae-cheon, Lee Seung-hoon, Lee Jong-guk, Kim Ki-hyung, Lee Choon-sik, Jeon Wan-geun, Lee Dong-hoon, Lee Ki-sung, Yoo Jong-hee, Han In-seok, Choi Don-ha, Park Man-gyu, Jung Ji-won, and Chang Young-soo.
The official opening ceremony takes place at 4:00 PM on November 18 at Gallery Arisu, located at 13 Insadong 11-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. A separate gathering for invited guests and supporters is scheduled for 5:00 PM on November 23, with the exhibition running through November 24.
