The 30th Newsletter

Hi there 

This is your A.thentic Jong Hee.

And this is my 30th Newsletter for you.💖

(I can't believe I'm already writing my 30th newsletter.)😳

How are you today?

How’s the weather in your area? Is it summer, or still cold, or does it feel more like spring?
Here in Busan, the weather has been quite chilly these days. This morning, it was -4°C, and day time, it’s around 3°C. In Seoul, today’s temperatures ranged from -8°C to 0°C. It’s already late February, but winter still lingers.❄️⛄️

But still, I see this as a big sign that spring is just around the corner.

I believe you already this performance, if not, just click and watch it. 🎹

a.jonghee

View more on Instagram

Like in this performance of mine, once spring arrives, I’ll spend my days walking under cherry blossom trees, holding a cup of coffee, and soaking in the beautiful weather. I can’t wait for that moment. 🌸🌸
I don’t know why, but this winter has been particularly tough for me. I’ve felt quite down, so I’m eagerly waiting for spring to come.

February 12th of this month was Daeboreum(The First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year), as I posted on Instagram.🌕

So I purposely went to Gwangalli Beach in Busan, where a festival was being held. Just like last year, many people gathered to watch the Daljip burning ceremony. During the day, there were many traditional Korean games (the kind you might have seen on Netflix, Squid Game), but I couldn't go in the afternoon due to other commitments. Instead, I went in the evening to watch the main event.

As I mentioned in my Instagram post, Daljip burning is a tradition meant to burn away bad luck and welcome good fortune, wishing for a healthy and happy year. This day marks the first full moon of the lunar year, making it a time to pray for the well-being of oneself and, more importantly, one's family. Since our own happiness is deeply tied to the health and happiness of our loved ones, family, it makes sense. 

In this way, Korea has a very strong sense of family bonds. As you may have seen in K-dramas, family is still so often the root of conflicts and struggles in many stories, even today.

Recently, there was a real-life event that truly demonstrated the power of family.

You might have seen it in the news. On December 3rd last year, Korea’s deranged president declared martial law. (But instead of fearing it, we just laughed. Everyone knew he was acting foolishly in a time of peace. And now, he’s in prison—just like Trump, whom I’ve despised from the very beginning.)

Anyway, when martial law was declared, dozens of special forces soldiers stormed the National Assembly with guns. Their goal was to take control of the parliament before lawmakers could vote to dissolve martial law. 

However, as soon as news spread that soldiers were heading toward the National Assembly, citizens rushed to block their way. These citizens weren’t armed—not even with knives or clubs. But the soldiers hesitated. Later, it was revealed that even among the special forces, there was a great deal of internal conflict. Many of them knew what they were doing was wrong, and as a result, they struggled to carry out their orders. That’s why they were unable to push past the unarmed civilians standing in their way.

But there was another group of special forces soldiers who broke through the windows and entered the National Assembly building. Their mission was to capture lawmakers before they could pass the motion to dissolve martial law. As they stormed into the building and tried to reach the main conference hall, they were met with resistance—not from armed guards, but from the National Assembly Secretariat staff. 

Since citizens couldn’t enter the building at that time, these staff members were the ones who stood their ground. They barricaded the hallways with desks and office equipment, doing everything they could to block the soldiers.

And here’s something that was only revealed later—among those who gave the soldiers the hardest time were ‘the middle-aged women’ working in the Secretariat (administrative office).

As the special forces soldiers tried to push through, these women kept slapping their faces while shouting: "Do you know that I have a son in the military right now? Do you understand?! My son is your age, serving in the army right now, understand that?!”

Can you imagine what happened? These soldiers were among the most elite, highly trained forces—capable of carrying out secret operations in North Korea. And yet, they were standing there, getting slapped by mother-like middle-aged women, as if they were children being scolded. Their minds must have been completely thrown into chaos.

In Korea, neither the state nor a military commander holds the highest authority. The ultimate power is our mothers. (I know this firsthand—I served in the military. The hardest part of military service isn't the tough training; it's the longing for family, especially for your mother. Every Korean man who has served will understand this.) 🙏

In the end, the lawmakers successfully passed the motion to dissolve martial law, and the soldiers were forced to withdraw. Some of them, as they were leaving, bowed repeatedly and apologized to the Assembly staff. Even outside the National Assembly, as they retreated, soldiers were seen bowing to citizens, saying they were sorry. And in response, the citizens embraced them and comforted them. This was all captured on the news.

(Many high-ranking generals who gave orders to those soldiers are now all in prison.)

This is the power of family that supports South Korea. 💖💜

Even if I were a soldier, no matter what orders I received from the government or my superior officers, my family—my mother—would always come first. This deeply ingrained sentiment is at the heart of Korea, and perhaps that's why I love my country so much.

Okay, now, below are photos from a Waffle Café I discovered late last year. 🧇

I visited this café a few weeks ago and went again yesterday, on Saturday.

The sweetness of the Nutella waffle was dangerously intense. Maybe that’s why, despite today’s temperature being around 2°C (but feeling below freezing due to the strong wind), I still went jogging outside.🏃🏻💦

While most people were bundled up against the cold sea breeze, I still insisted on wearing shorts for my run throughout the winter. Even when I lived in Seoul, I used to jog near my home wearing shorts—sometimes even short sleeves—despite the much colder winters there.❄️❄️

Why? Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just because I warm up once I start running, so I never saw the need for heavy clothing. That’s probably the reason.

Lastly, here are some photos from the traditional market I visited yesterday, on Saturday. Since this market is close to Haeundae Beach, it’s always packed with tourists. It mainly sells street food like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and eomuk (fish cakes), along with lots of side dishes that go well with alcohol.

But if you go deeper into the local area, there’s another traditional market with a different atmosphere. That one focuses more on ingredients for cooking Korean dishes—things like kimchi-making supplies, traditional seasonings, and banchan (side dish) ingredients.🧅🧄🌶 It’s a completely different scene compared to this tourist-friendly market.

Oh, I almost forgot! Next Friday (February 28th), my new single album will be released. This time, it’s not a piano album—it’s an instrumental track from a different genre. 🎵🎵

Here’s the link to my Spotify Artist Page. If you follow me there, you’ll get notifications when my new songs are released. (And trust me, that kind of support means a lot to me.)🌹💓

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7l0I0kuaVN66wuF6xee5O6

Also, since I had trouble sleeping again last night (lately, my sleepless nights are becoming more frequent, but I believe it’ll get better), I created my very first playlists on Spotify:

🎵 Midnight Piano: Deep Reflection

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/31ej6iHDa8dZ2j3l90ImvH

🎵 A Story Told in Piano🎹

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6uTmFGQxU6Z0lUqAzf8lKj

I also made a playlist called “City Night Lofi: Chill & Reading Vibes”, but for some reason, the link isn’t showing up yet. I’ll post it on my Instagram story once it’s fixed.

I’d love for you to listen to the playlists I made. When I write or need inspiration for a certain emotion, I often listen to my own music. It would be nice to think that we’re listening together.

Okay, Thank you for reading my 30th newsletter.

I remember everyone who replies after reading my newsletter, and I really appreciate it.

Wishing you a happy and healthy week ahead!

Looking forward to seeing you here again.

Warm Regards,

A.thentic Jong Hee