Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo

They came from all over the world, poles in hand, and feet ready to inch more than half a mile across a high wire strung over the Han River in a spine-tingling battle of balance, speed and high anxiety.

As part of its annual city festival, the South Korean capital staged Thursday what was billed as the world’s first high-wire championship, drawing 18 contestants from nine countries for three days of supreme feats of concentration.

Each acrobat must navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spans the river, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.

The contestants — 14 men and four women — include such masters of the high wire as Jade Kindar-Martin of Shelburne, Vt., a former Cirque du Soleil performer who once crossed London’s River Thames at a height of 150 feet, and Colombia’s Alan Martinez, who ambled across the Amazon.

They will face Adili Wuxiuer of China — the world record-holder for distance who walked on a wire nearly a half-mile across the Chongqing Cliff at a height of 2,250 feet in 2003.

Organizers in Seoul said stringing the wire across the Han made it the longest-ever such high wire, meaning anyone making it across will break the record for distance.

The iron cable was supported by 72-foot-high towers on either bank of the river. A safety net was deployed under the sections of the wire over the riverbanks; otherwise the walkers faced a plunge into the swirling gray water.

Read the full account of this AP story from journalist Bo-Mi Lim HERE