Hidden attractions visited by Koreans

  ｜From My 20s to My 50s: Moments When Money Quietly Leaked Away｜ Money is not just a tool; it is the minimum shield that protects our freedom of choice. Looking back, I realize that at every stage of life I carelessly opened a “door that led straight to poverty.” That door often looked like comfort, or like the thought “Everyone else is doing it, so it must be fine.” From my university days to life in my 50s now, that door was always much closer than I thought. 🔹 In My 20s — “I’ll just work hard now. I can learn about money later.” I believed that once I got into university, everything would work out. After graduation I spent more than a year unemployed, obsessed with “building my résumé.” Getting a job was my only life goal. After I finally joined a company, I simply worked hard without thinking about anything else. But poverty actually began in this period. Not ...

🧠 Is Dementia Genetic? When I was in elementary school, I heard that my grandmother had dementia. Since then, a quiet worry followed me— “Could this be genetic? Will my mother, now nearing 80, face the same thing?” But according to Professor Sehee Jung from Seoul National University College of Medicine: “Dementia is not a genetic disease. The more research we do, the clearer it becomes that it is a lifestyle-related condition. How you live in midlife is especially important, and controlling risk factors can prevent dementia by up to 45%.” 🔟 Ten Factors That Influence Dementia The major risk factors are: Age (Risk increases after 65) Chronic diseases: hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia Lack of exercise Low mental stimulation Social isolation Poor sleep Smoking & excessive drinking Hearing loss Vision decline Traumatic brain injury Most of these, especially between the ages of 40 and 60, are lifestyle related. The hop...

Does Zone 2 Running Make You Faster? Zone 2 running alone will not dramatically increase your pace. However, it does steadily improve your endurance — your ability to run longer without fatigue. Today, I’ll summarize the core ideas of Zone 2 training explained by the YouTube channel Running Behind . Why You Should Train in Zone 2 If you're new to running, Zone 2 training is the best place to start. Pushing too hard early makes running feel burdensome — and eventually leads to quitting. Even slow running has powerful effects: increased mitochondrial density, more capillaries, heightened oxidative enzymes, and improved fat utilization. In short, Zone 2 turns your body into a more efficient “engine” built for endurance running. Understanding Zone 2 & Heart Rate Myths Many people say: “My heart rate shoots over 160 even when I jog…” Training zones (Zone 1–5) are simply a guideline. Zone 2 is often marked as 60–70% of max HR, but that’s only a loose ...

Phone Call With a Former Colleague About four months ago, I spoke on the phone with a former colleague who had been struggling for eight months after leaving his job and failing to find a new one. His voice was filled with a kind of exhaustion that’s hard to put into words. From time to time I wondered how he was doing, but I kept hesitating, not knowing what to say… and four months just slipped by. While I was still only thinking about calling, he called me first. His voice sounded much brighter this time, and as we were catching up, he suddenly said, “I’m thinking of opening a fried chicken place. After quitting… there isn’t really much else I can do…” From the way he talked, I could tell he had already looked into a lot of things and was in the middle of preparing for it. Skills That Don’t Help Much Anymore Both he and I used to work in overseas sales. Sometimes we even went on business trips together. Around the age of forty-five, he moved to another listed ...

Does Running Really Make You Age Faster? Whenever I tell friends that I’ve started running, I often hear the same comments: “Your knees will be ruined.” “You’ll age faster if you run.” But is that really true? In this post, I整理 a YouTube episode from Running Behind and look at what science actually says about running and aging. I. Which Type of Exercise Helps Slow Down Aging? 1. Study Design and Results In 2019, researchers recruited 124 healthy but mostly sedentary adults and divided them into four groups: No exercise Aerobic exercise only High-intensity interval training (HIIT) only Strength training only The three exercise groups trained for six months , doing their assigned workout three times a week, 45 minutes per session . After six months, the researchers measured the activity of an enzyme called telomerase , which is closely related to cellular aging. No-exercise group & strength training group: little to no change Aerobic & ...

  I. Two Months in a Marathon Club 1. “I’ll just run, how hard can it be?” At first, being able to run 5 km without stopping from my usual 3 km felt like a huge achievement for me. Then I stretched that to 7 km, and “Hey… I’m actually becoming a decent runner!” — that’s what I started to think. After occasionally running 7 km, sometimes 10 km, 10 km eventually became my routine distance. “At this level… I’m probably one of the stronger runners along Anyangcheon, right?” 2. Hitting the Two-Month Mark in the Marathon Club For the first time, I did a proper “build-up” run session. On the track at Anyang Sports Complex, I think I ran the final five laps at around sub-5:00 pace, just staring at the feet of the club president in front of me, debating the whole time whether to quit or keep going, and somehow barely finishing those five laps. “I thought I was pretty good… but compared to the other c...

🏃‍♂️ Four Common Mistakes Every Beginner Runner Makes It’s been more than ten years since I first started running alone. At first, even 10km felt overwhelming. But after joining a marathon running club , I eventually completed my first 100km ultra marathon within two years. Along the way, I experienced countless running injuries and typical beginner mistakes that slowed my progress. This article summarizes the four common mistakes I made as a beginner runner. I hope this helps anyone who is starting their running journey. 1️⃣ Trying to Increase Distance and Speed Too Quickly The most common mistake beginners make is wanting fast results. “10km feels okay now. Maybe I can run a half marathon in 6 months?” — I thought the same. But rapidly increasing distance or speed is the fastest way to get injured. Running requires gradual improvements in aerobic capacity, strength, and recovery ability. When I forced myself to run 10km too early, I developed knee p...

Desire When you start marathon running, it’s impossible not to develop a sense of ambition. The pride I felt the first time I ran 5km without stopping soon turned into, “Maybe I should try 10km next?” After completing 10km, another thought comes: “When should I try 20km?” Then you attempt 20km, get injured, slow down for a while… But still, somewhere inside, you keep thinking, “Someday, definitely…” That was me, too. Two weeks ago, I attempted the Cheonan Heungtaryeong 100km Ultra Marathon. Despite some injuries, I finished it. Those in my running club who had run 100km before were worried about my reckless challenge, and those with no experience encouraged me while still doubting a bit. Even I kept asking myself, “Is this really possible?” while preparing—and even on race day as I started running. “When is the right time to attempt an Ultra 100km?” I think some people might be curious, so I want to share my experience. If you compare it with your level,...

I. By Sheer Luck I thought I would be able to stay at the company where I had worked for 11 years until retirement. But the growing pressure and unfairness tightened around me day by day, and for more than three months I kept thinking, “If I had anything else I could do, I would walk out right now.” Then one day, a senior manager I had worked with for many years met an investor and came to me with a proposal: "Why don't you come and work with me at a startup?" I handed in my resignation and finally escaped the place that had been so exhausting for me. I felt as if I had escaped from a situation where I could barely breathe. II. Hope and Confidence I reached out to former colleagues who were working in different places and asked if they wanted to join us. In the new office, I had my own desk. The team was coming together, the space was forming, and as we defined what needed to be done, everyday commuting started to feel hopeful. Although our key en...

I. 1st Ultra Marath on 100km I joined my first ultra marathon last weekend, from Saturday 5 p.m. to Sunday 9 a.m. I had tons of worries before the race: What exactly should I bring? How much should I carry while running? A senior runner in my club — he has completed 18 ultras and we call him “Haneul” — told me exactly what to pack. If I hadn’t followed his advice, I probably would have dropped out halfway. Here is everything I learned, step by step. II. Organizer’s Phone Number & Whether You Should Drive If you decide to drop out during an ultra, you call the organizer, stay where you are, and a car will come to pick you up. Before the race, save the organizer’s phone number on your phone. I also asked Haneul whether I should bring my car or use public transportation. “If I drop out in the middle of the night, there’s no subway or bus… Should I bring my car?” “Absolutely not! You’ll fall asleep at the wheel. I brought my car onc...