[INSIDER GUIDE] Swimmer Jung You-in’s Weekend in Seoul
Korean swimmer Jung You-in’s day is packed with training sessions. Jung leads a life centered on swimming but once a week she gets to have a day off when she returns to Seoul from her training camp for the weekend. We introduce places Jung frequently goes during her respite in the Metropolis.
“To me, Seoul is a hometown that is missed all the time. I’m currently playing for the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government team and have been staying in a dormitory located in Gyeongsan for over 2 years. I visit Seoul once a week for an overnight stay. That’s why I always miss being in Seoul. It’s a city that makes you want to stay put.”
Gyeongui Line Forest Park
Favorite walking trail?
Yeontral Park. Frankly speaking, when I’m by myself, I like sleeping in my bed the most. I’m someone who needs a lot of sleep. If I don’t get my sleep, I get a headache. So I try to maintain my sleeping hours. Sleeping also helps me to de-stress. After a good sleep, I tend to forget about any unpleasant happenings. If I’m with my dog, I go outside. I go to Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Yeonnam-dong, which is a great place to take a walk with your dog.
· Gyeongui Line Forest Park Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
· Gyeongui Line Forest Park Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Jung You-in © Scill Unite
Dense Coffee © Dense Coffee
Favorite cafe?
I am a regular at Dense Coffee in Cheonho-dong, eastern Seoul, these days. It’s a cafe recently opened by my friend. It’s a great hangout for me and my friends.
· Dense Coffee 69 Pungseong-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
· Dense Coffee 69 Pungseong-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
Energy-boosting meal?
I don’t have a diet plan to boost stamina. When I feel a bit down, however, I often think of chicken feet. I like their stimulating, spicy flavor. It’s also fun to debone them!
· Hanshinpocha Sinchon 10-4 Yonsei-ro 7an-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
· Hanshinpocha Sinchon 10-4 Yonsei-ro 7an-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Sinchon Hwangso Gopchang © Naver Blogger Momo(blog.naver.com/dydy6493)
Favorite restaurant?
Sinchon Hwangso Gopchang and Yukhoe Jijon, both in Sinchon, used to be my favorites during my undergraduate years at Yonsei University. Yukhoe Jijon Sinchon, which is no longer there, would serve a special sauce with perilla seed powder, which was delectable. My absolute favorite restaurant now is Outback Steakhouse.
· Sinchon Hwangso Gopchang 31 Yonsei-ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
· Outback Steakhouse Sinchon 33 Yonsei-ro 12-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
· Sinchon Hwangso Gopchang 31 Yonsei-ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
· Outback Steakhouse Sinchon 33 Yonsei-ro 12-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Surfers riding the wave at Yangyang
Favorite activity venues?
I like any kind of water activities so in summer I enjoy surfing and wakeboarding. These places are not in Seoul, however. I often visit Nangman Beach Surfschool near Gisamun Beach in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, and Wave Park in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. I enjoy riding courses along the East Sea shoreline and Jeju Island coastline where I can see the ocean.
· Nangman Beach Surfschool www.instagram.com/nangmanbeach
· Wave Park 42 Geobukseomdulle-gil, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi Province
· Nangman Beach Surfschool www.instagram.com/nangmanbeach
· Wave Park 42 Geobukseomdulle-gil, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi Province
Place worth visiting in Seoul?
Head over to Yeonnam-dong. There are a gazillion places with great foods. (laugh)
About Insider: Korean National Team Swimmer Jung You-in
Jung You-in became popular through a TV reality show entitled < Sporty Sisters > featuring Korean women athletes including legendary golfer Pak Se-ri. Among the regular cast, Jung is the only one who is still playing professionally. She set a new Korean record in the Women's 400m relay during the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju. Jung first learned swimming at the age of five. She was a member of a children’s sports team. Currently playing for the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government team, she travels back and forth between the Gyeongsan dormitory and her home in Seoul. Her weekdays have back-to-back training sessions. Nevertheless, she’s not tired or bored of the sport. Swimming is still her favorite thing in the world. As a swimmer, her goals are renewing her personal records and joining the Olympic team. Her weekends are spent in a Yeonnam-dong home in Mapo-gu, Seoul. She finds happiness in playing with her pet or having coffee with friends at a cafe.
Q. What’s an ordinary day like for a national team swimmer?
A. I swim in the morning and do weight training and some more swimming in the afternoon. Some days I get 8 hours of training. When I’m resting, I like to knit or draw. I also go to karaoke. Recently I learned how to play an online role game(League of Legends)!
Q. When do you find swimming exhilarating?
A. When I feel the water completely. It is when I am so focused on swimming that I sort of fall into a trance, feeling the water flow at my fingertips, over my head and across my back. It is such a perfect moment which makes me happy.
Q. What’s the driving force that keeps you going?
A. I think I haven’t given up swimming because of the immense satisfaction coming from good records and performances after hard training.
A. I swim in the morning and do weight training and some more swimming in the afternoon. Some days I get 8 hours of training. When I’m resting, I like to knit or draw. I also go to karaoke. Recently I learned how to play an online role game(League of Legends)!
Q. When do you find swimming exhilarating?
A. When I feel the water completely. It is when I am so focused on swimming that I sort of fall into a trance, feeling the water flow at my fingertips, over my head and across my back. It is such a perfect moment which makes me happy.
Q. What’s the driving force that keeps you going?
A. I think I haven’t given up swimming because of the immense satisfaction coming from good records and performances after hard training.
Jung You-in © Scill Unite
Q. You enjoy a variety of sports including surfing, wakeboarding, and skiing. Isn’t it tiring to engage in other physical activities during your break?
A. I don’t think about the stress I get from training while I learn new sports. Rather, it is when I watch TV or sit idly that I would think about how I didn’t do well in training and become hard on myself. When I’m doing something else, I don’t worry about my records and tend to forget those concerns. So I engage in other sports to ‘have fun,’ not to exercise.
Q. Seeing your Instagram or YouTube channel, I feel an urge to work out. What should a first timer do in starting a new sport?
A. It’s important to know what you like to do and how well you want to do it. For those who want to lose weight or gain weight, it is best to set a concrete goal before starting. If you’re learning something for the first time, try to figure out what kind of movement you find suitable for you. It could be yoga or running. If you start running without going through those steps, for example assuming you actually like aquatic activities, you could have a hard time from the beginning and may give up easily.
A. I don’t think about the stress I get from training while I learn new sports. Rather, it is when I watch TV or sit idly that I would think about how I didn’t do well in training and become hard on myself. When I’m doing something else, I don’t worry about my records and tend to forget those concerns. So I engage in other sports to ‘have fun,’ not to exercise.
Q. Seeing your Instagram or YouTube channel, I feel an urge to work out. What should a first timer do in starting a new sport?
A. It’s important to know what you like to do and how well you want to do it. For those who want to lose weight or gain weight, it is best to set a concrete goal before starting. If you’re learning something for the first time, try to figure out what kind of movement you find suitable for you. It could be yoga or running. If you start running without going through those steps, for example assuming you actually like aquatic activities, you could have a hard time from the beginning and may give up easily.
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