President Moon Jae-in has posthumously presented the highest class of the Order of Sports Merit to "fingerless" South Korean mountaineer Kim Hong-bin. 

Culture Minister Hwang Hee presented the Cheongnyong Class of the Order of Sports Merit to Kim on behalf of the president on Wednesday. He visited a memorial altar set up for the missing climber in Gwangju. 

A search operation for Kim was concluded last month upon the wish of his family.

Kim went missing on July 18 while descending Broad Peak at over eight-thousand meters in Pakistan's Karakoram Range after successfully reaching its summit. 

With the feat, Kim became the world's first person with a disability to conquer all 14 of the world's highest peaks.

The 56-year-old kept climbing despite losing all ten of his fingers to frostbite in 1991 while climbing Denali, the tallest mountain in North America formerly known as Mount McKinley.

The Order of Sports Merit is bestowed to those who have promoted the status of Korean sports and contributed to national development through achievement in sports. Kim had earlier received the Geosang Class of the Order of Sports Merit in 2012.