Achasan (Acha Mountain) in Seoul, South Korea

Lotte Tower in the background

One of the most underrated areas of Seoul is Achasan. Achasan, with an altitude of 295.7 meters stretches from Seoul to the city of Guri. The mountain can be found right dab in the city off of Line 7 on the Seoul Metro. My friend Nate Sympson recommended going there because it is a great place for photographers to get stunning sunset and twilight shots. After about 40 minutes of hiking, you'll observe a panoramic view of Seoul that includes the Han River, Lotte Tower to your left, and N Seoul Tower (formerly known as Namsan Tower). N Seoul Tower will be off to your right and in the next picture below. I had heard about Achasan a few times, but never realized how wonderful the views were from there.

N Seoul Tower off into the distance

Here's a little history of the mountain. During the Joseon Dynasty, the two peaks (Bonghwa and Yongmabong) as well as the Manguri Cemetery were originally considered part of Achasan Mountain. 20 bastions were discovered on the mountain that were originally estimated to date back to the Three Kingdoms Era. Further research indicated that some of the remains were actually part of the military fortress built during the Goguryeo Era (37 BC to 668 AD). Due to these findings, Achasan Mountain was officially designated as Historic Site #455 in the year 2004.

The other side of the Han River

My Review: This place is popular among Koreans but few non-Koreans talk about it which is surprising. However, since few tourists come here, it's not an overly crowded place. I was pretty amazed by the view and we stayed for three hours just seeing the different lighting of the sun as it got darker. You can see Lotte Tower light up slowly and see the city lights illuminate as the minutes tick away. It was breathtaking to say the least. Since my friend and I came up in March, the weather during the afternoon was perfect, but it got windy as 6:00pm approached. That is something that you should keep in mind. Also, if you do plan to come here, I would suggest to bring a lunch because there aren't many restaurants on the way to the entrance to the hiking trails. There are a couple of small Korean restaurants on the way there, but my friend and I just decided to meet my wife and her friend at Wangsimni Station (5 subway stations away) for dinner after hiking. Here are a couple of more shots before you go:

How To Get There: Take Seoul Subway Line 5 to Achasan Station and come out of Exit 2.
Walk straight and turn on the second left street.
Walk straight for approximately 210 meters.
Follow the street on the right after the three-way intersection (also known as a Y-junction).
Follow the street for approximately 470 meters and turn right towards Dongui Elementary School.
Walk straight until you get to the Achasan Park Entrance.
It will take you about 10-15 minutes from Achasan Station.


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

This Week in Seoul (April 21-25, 2018)

Living abroad has some amazing moments, funny moments, frustrating moments, and downright weird moments. Here are some events that happened to me this week in Seoul:

1. An older student made me laugh because he told the other student in my class (a girl in her early 20s) that her skin looked like ceramics. Apparently that means that your skin looks good in Korean culture if you compare skin to ceramics. *smile*

2. I went to Olympic Park and enjoyed the beautiful weather and while I was there a really nice Korean man in his 60s or 70s was walking with his wife and approached me. He asked if I wanted my picture taken of the scenery since he thought I was a tourist. He definitely never considered that some people (not me of course) take selfies nowadays. My kind of guy! Once he found out that I had lived in Korea for 15 years, he was shocked and said that I am already Korean. 

3. I went to the bathroom at Olympic Park and heard the song "Let it Be" on the radio in the form of the Korean instrument, the gayageum (가야금). It had a very calm and relaxing sound. But apparently one of my friends thought this was too much information, so if you feel that way too, I apologize! Haha!

4. Today I went to a Korean diner for lunch called Kimbap Cheonguk (Heaven). It serves cheap and fairly decent tasting Korean food and while I sat down to order my meal, a man in his late 40s started talking to me in Korean. I thought he was being friendly so I told him where I was from, what I did in Korea, etc. Then 5 minutes later, he asked if he could have my phone number and become Kakaotalk friends, which was a bit weird but totally possible in Korea. Also in Korea, these things don't really bother me since Korean people are very harmless, so I obliged. Later on in the conversation, I couldn't understand him perfectly, but it seemed like he wanted to hang out after we had lunch. I told him in Korean that I had to go back to work. However, as soon as I finished my meal, he seemed to rush through his meal right after I did. I went to pay for my meal and he was right behind me, which I thought was a bit creepy. I walked fast to a convenient store nearby since I was planning to get a dessert snack anyway. After I paid for my candy bar, I noticed him walking off to the right. I found that to be weird since I took about 10 minutes to look for my candy bar. Was he looking for me so that he could talk to me before letting me go back to work? Who knows? But it was certainly strange and I was glad that he didn't notice me walking the opposite direction. To top it off, when I got back to work, he texted me and told me he was the guy that ate kimbap with me. Then he invited me to a group chat with 167 people in it. In the group chat, there was a posting of Trump's letter to Kim Jong Un rejecting the Singapore Summit. I left the group chat and he quickly responded by texting why I left the group chat and said that he would invite me again. I had my coworkers text him in Korean that I wasn't interested. Thankfully, he seems to have gotten the hint. What a bizarre and extremely unexpected situation to be in!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Sermon: "The Royal Family" by Edward Chun (April 22, 2018)

Mark 3:20-35

Mark uses a literary "sandwich technique" in the book of Mark. He puts two stories together to create one idea. He is trying to tell us who Jesus is in Chapter 3. First, we find out who isn't in Jesus's royal family.  Secondly, we find out who will never be in his royal family. Finally, we find out who is in Jesus's royal family.

Let's start with who isn't. See verses 20-21. Jesus's family thought he was crazy. Ironically these are people that spent the majority of is life with him.  They find themselves on the outside of Jesus's royal family (vs. 31). Jesus's kingdom doesn't operate like this world. In this world, if you're born into a royal family, you're in and if you're not you're not. It's not like Jesus's family couldn't be a part of his royal family but at this point in time (Mark 3), they aren't.  Jesus's said that his mother wasn't his mother. The reason they're on the outside is that they came to arrest and seize him. He wasn't acting how he would normally act. Even if are in proximity to Jesus (go to church every, born in a Christian family, have Christian friends, and/or listen to Christian music), that doesn't necessarily make you a Christian.Are we controlling Jesus or is He controlling us? We should respond "It's really hard but I trust you!" Always check your heart.

There's one area of the Word that tells us who doesn't belong (vs. 22). Not only did the scribes say that Jesus was crazy, but they also said he was possessed by Satan. Jesus responds in verse 23 by saying "How can Satan cast out Satan (paraphrased)?" Why in the world would Satan cast out his own demons? In verse 27, we see that "the strong man" means Satan and the house means Satan's kingdom. The plunder has already begun. The Royal Family of Jesus is already being established.

Then Jesus gives a severe warning. He mentions the unforgivable sin: blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It means to deliberately or intentionally repudiate the work of God's Spirit though Jesus. That's not to say that people can't turn back towards Jesus. God always forgives those who come to Jesus after rejecting Him before. We all have rebelled and rejected Jesus (Psalm 51). However, when you say Jesus is evil and possessed by Satan, that is the unforgivable sin (vs. 30). The scribes can no longer distinguish between good and evil (Isaiah 5:20). It's unforgivable because you can't repent any more and if you don't repent, you can't be saved.

So who is part of the Royal Family? Whoever does the will of God. It is to do what the scribes aren't doing: Believe! Today if you are struggling to believe, trust, or obey, look towards the Son. Look at the King and spend some serious time with Him. He's the King who bound the strong man on the cross. We can enjoy the plunder in His Royal Family. He has invited us to be a part of his family. Let's accept that invitation.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy