LOS ANGELES -- A South Korean man died of a cardiovascular problem while trekking last week on a long-distance route in the western United States, the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles said Thursday, urging people to refrain from extreme exertion.

The 65-year-old man, whose name was not released, collapsed on Friday while walking on a mountain road in the vicinity of San Diego, California, on the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs 2,663 miles from the US-Mexico border through California, Oregon and Washington, according to the South Korean diplomatic mission. The trail, which reaches its northern terminus at the US-Canada border, is known as a challenging through-hiking and backpacking route through some of the country's most spectacular wilderness ranges.

(Yonhap)
"Trips in an extreme situation can be lethal to those who have high blood pressure or other chronic illnesses," the consul general said.

Together, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail are known as the Triple Crown of long-distance hiking in the United States.

An increasing number of South Korean hikers has been visiting the trail since the popularity of the 2015 US film "Wild" that has it as the backdrop. (Yonhap)