에베레스트 산에서 살아난 요리사, 관광 산업에 질문을 던지다

Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain. Many tourists pay money to climb it every year. These climbers need help from local workers. One worker's survival story shows a serious problem in mountain tourism.

A cook worked for a climbing company on Mount Everest. His job was to prepare food for tourists. But one day, he became a climber himself. A climbing guide got sick. The company asked the cook to lead tourists up the mountain instead. This was very dangerous. The cook was not trained for this job.

The cook led the group higher and higher. Then something went wrong. The tourists could not continue. The cook had to help them. He did his job well. But after the tourists went down, the cook did not go with them. Nobody helped him. He had to walk down the mountain alone.

The cook was very lucky. He reached the bottom safely. But many people got angry. Why did the company ask a cook to do a guide's job? Why did nobody help him go down? These are important questions.

Mountain tourism brings money to poor countries. But workers sometimes face danger. They work long hours. They get paid very little. They do not always have good training or safety equipment. The cook's story shows this problem clearly.

Now people talk about making rules for mountain tourism. Workers should get good training. Companies should keep workers safe. Money is important, but human life is more important.

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.