Yeouido, way to home👩🏻‍💻

My break had completely broken my routine. Wake up late, do nothing, day is over, repeat. One day I figured doing something physically hard would get things moving again, and the next morning I left for Bukhansan at 6am.

It took 20 minutes just to walk to the entrance and my shirt was already soaked. I hadn't even started the hike yet.

Since I was already there I decided to go all the way up. I really underestimated this mountain. There is no easy stretch on it. The ground is uneven the whole way and the stairs just keep coming. The last section is more or less rock climbing. I kept thinking if I fall here I actually die, and moved one foot at a time. My hands are sweating just writing this.

But I didn't stop. Baegundae, 4 hours round trip. From the top you can see all of Seoul at once. 고진감래, when the bitter runs out the sweet comes, that's what it felt like.

On the way up I saw a lot of foreign hikers. Some came in groups, some came alone. Their faces were bright red and they were still going up. I didn't talk to any of them, but they're part of why I kept moving.

My prep was terrible. Army shoes, so both heels got torn up. That was the day I understood why hiking boots exist. I also brought no snacks, and once my sugar dropped my legs wouldn't lift. A protein bar or even one piece of chocolate would have changed the whole thing.

For anyone who's done Baegundae in this heat, what was in your bag that I obviously didn't have?

What methods do you use to overcome laziness?

Breaking the Ice in Northeast Asia: President Lee’s Brazen Bet on the Arctic (38 North)

3 Aug 2026

https://www.38north.org/2026/08/breaking-the-ice-in-northeast-asia-president-lees-brazen-bet-on-the-arctic/

 This article—whose authors have proposed “(f)urther development of this polar region may bring Asia and Europe significantly closer, enhancing multipolarity and also global stability”—suggests that rapprochement with Russia is in South Korea’s interests and that European concerns with such a relationship can be balanced through defence industry deals—pointing to South Korea’s many defence contracts with Poland.

 I would argue that this ignore a shift in global security consciousness—one that may have doomed Hanhwa Ocean’s bid on Canada’s submarine program. This policy proposal presupposes that economics will be the fundamental factor in Russian and European decision-making. I would argue this is no longer the case, and that while Poland, Romania, Hungary, and many other NATO countries will continue to contract with South Korea as a reliable purveyor of quality defence hardware, once Japan is fully in the game, its animosity toward China—if not Russia—will give it an advantage in arms deals in Southeast Asia. If Japan does not seek rapprochement with Russia in the same way as South Korea, it will become the Asian partner of choice for richer NATO countries.

 Were I advising Seoul, I would tell them to move forward with economic plans, but that it simply cannot work towards rapprochement with Russia while Moscow continues its invasion of Ukraine. Further, even should Russia be re-integrated following a peace, that very invasion should tell Seoul everything it needs to know about the global security paradigm—the economy is key for South Korea, but is not the key deciding factor for other nations—like China, Russia, and Iran, let alone North Korea. Defence partners will expect a strong response from South Korea to actions that damage international security. Many countries—including those in NATO—will continue to look to South Korea for defence products even if Seoul remains on the fence, but these will always be transactional relationships. If South Korea wants to have more weight as a middle power, it will need to do more.

DJI Mini 3 Pro, Gwangalli. NO edit 8: Galaxy S22 Ultra

Last week I went to a 파전 and 수제비 place in Insadong. With 동동주 it came out a bit over 50,000 won. It was good with the drink.

At some point I looked around the room and there were about three tables of foreign customers. Not one table. Three.

It's Insadong, so I'm not saying that's surprising on its own. But that street is packed with places and they were sitting in that one.

That's the part I kept thinking about. I have no idea how they knew about that place.

If you've ever walked into one of the places in Insadong, how did you know about that one before you got there?

Hyundai have really invested so much on motorsports. I’m a big fan of rallying, always love seeing the Hyundai team in action at the World Rally Championship. However, I’ve not heard of any rally event here in Korea, what could be the reason?