South Korea's Oh Eun-Sun is believed to be the first woman to have successfully climbed the world's 14 highest mountain peaks, though one of her climbs (her claims to have scaled the Kanchenjunga) was disputed around last week of April. Now the dispute has reignited after one of largest TV networks in the country, SBS, broadcast an hour-long investigative report on Oh’s climbing record. As public opinion veers towards the argument that perhaps she had indeed failed to scale the aforementioned Himalayan peak, bloggers delved deeper into the story looking at causal factors that underlie the current controversy. In the annals of mountaineering, 8,000 meters (26,247 ft) height above sea level, is often referred to as God’s realm – the sacred area that mortals do not dare to touch. At that height, with extreme cold and thin air, you can take only two to three steps before being forced to stop and pant for the next 5 minutes due to the extremely low level of oxygen in the air. People have been known to frequently doze off or see hallucinations as the brain struggles with the low levels of oxygen and extreme conditions. nevertheless, several women have challenged the harshness of Nature and some have returned with stunning achievements. Oh Eun-Sun was one of them, or rather the one who stood first among them by creating a world record of scaling all 14 eight-thousanders on April 27, 2010. An image of Mt. Kangchenjunga from Wikipedia. The record got blemished pretty soon. Earlier, Oh's scaling of Kanchenjunga in 2009 had been questioned by several Western media including a BBC report. The controversy stemmed from this photo reportedly taken by Oh at the summit of the Kanchenjunga. Though too blurry to confirm the exact location of where she stood but it was the only evidence that could prove her ascent. One of the Sherpas who accompanied Oh supported her claim while another disputed it. Ferran Latorre, a Spanish climber, said that the green rope affixed to the mountain by Oh's team stopped 200 meters short of the summit. Also, Oh’s unexpectedly short span of time taken to descend the mountain was one of major controversial points. But the suspicions later cooled down after she appeared in a talk show, tearfully explaining her stance. The recent SBS report however, has bolstered several points skeptics raised against Oh and the local media is buzzing with new reports on the controversy. People are questioning as to how it is possible that the photo is the only evidence. Oh hadn’t planted her flag on the peak and she claimed that she had lost the flag but later her flag was found several hundred meters below the summit and other photos of Oh show that the flags were kept safely inside her jacket. This is just one example. The evidence against her is mounting but the evidence supporting her is non-existing. Many are concluding that she was somehow mistaken (whether subconsciously or had been mislead by the guide or Sherpas) into believing that she had reached the summit. And since it is such a big deal to be recorded in history and she is endorsed by the Black Yak Company, Oh, who had so much to lose, has let an honest mistake mutate into a gigantic, ugly lie. Blogger Danbis commented as follows 개인적으로 등산에 관심이 많고, 관련 책이나 다큐도 몇번 보았지만, 정말 고산지대에서 벌어지는 일들은 인간의 상상을 초월하고 죽어가는 사람들 보고도 그냥 지나친다고 하는데, 죽기보다 힘든 상황에서 유혹에 빠졌을 수도 있지 않을까 싶다. 더욱이 다른 사람들과 경쟁하고 있는 상황에서 뒤쳐지고 있을 때라면 더욱 그런 유혹에 빠지기 쉽지 않을까 싶다. 문제는 거짓말이 거짓말을 낳고, 더욱 의혹만 증폭이 되어가는 것이 아닐까 싶은 생각이 들고… Many Korean mountaineers have been blamed for obsessively climbing mountains on tight schedules under the guidance of a strict leader of the team, taking zero consideration into the situation of others. One Korean Climbers’ Association even admitted to this rude practice and held a conference on the climbing ethics in November. This tendency towards over-achievement has become intensified with corporate sponsorship. The woman climber is a fascinating subject of advertisement. It is extremely rare to see women climbers climbing Himalayan Mountains. It is somehow a win-win for both, as the climbers need large sponsors and financial support which is indispensable in climbing high mountains. It takes around 160 thousand dollars to climb a Himalayan mountain that is an 8-thousander. Oh Eun-Sun was endorsed by the Black Yak and her rival Go Mi-Young was sponsored by the Kolon, another outdoor clothing and equipment company. The competition between two was pretty intense before it ended abruptly last year with Go’s death. Go lost her footing during her descend from another Himalayan summit. To win the competition, Oh kept up her brutal climbing schedule.