Rocky Start Biking in Korea's Countryside 🇰🇷 DMZ Bike Path Day 1

#korea #cycling #dmz
Hello everyone, in this video I depart my house in Sinchon (신촌), and head over to Ganghwa-do (강화도), an island that’s North of Incheon (인천) and located in Gimpo (김포), the city to the west of Seoul. My goal was to start cycling the Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path (평화누리자전거길), a 215 km bike path that goes along the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between South and North Korea, which I didn’t know much about, but I was very curious after learning about it. After almost arriving at Ganghwa-do to set up camp, I ended up getting two flat tires and had to make the decision to cut my ride short, return home, and I will head back to cycle the path as soon as possible.
📍Locations in Video:
Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival (여의도 벚꽃축제) - Beginning of April every year
naver.me/Fd7Wh6IV
Mangwon Market (망원시장) - Great place to get street food in Seoul
naver.me/F7CIiDbq
North Han River Area with Bike Shops
naver.me/52TfqHmS
Namwon Yoon Family Tombs 남원 윤씨 영사정 묘역
naver.me/FWfT5bUO
🌐 Links in Video:
Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path Website (평화누리자전거길)
dmz.gg.go.kr/gg_dmz-tour/peac...
📱 Naver Map (네이버맵) - Best app for finding businesses, restaurants, hotels, bathrooms, etc
Google Play
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
iOS
apps.apple.com/kr/app/naver-m...
Big Blue 28W Solar Charger (Amazon Affiliate Link)
amzn.to/3TWTScJ
Chapters:
00:00 Intro to the Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path
01:25 Cycling Along the Han River
05:29 Lunch at a 7/11 Convenience Store
05:52 Arriving and Cycling the Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path
10:15 My Bike Setup and Big Blue 28W Solar Charger
11:01 Cycling Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path and the Highway
12:29 First Flat Tire
12:58 Cycling Through the Suburbs of Gimpo
14:44 Grocery Shopping in Korea
15:32 Second Flat Tire - The End of the Ride
17:28 My Wife Saves Me
18:24 Outro
Patreon/Donations:
𝐏 Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=83742549
🅿️ Paypal: paypal.me/lostthenfound
🛒 Our Video Equipment:
www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/...

[@MikeFromKorea]

One thing I love about living in Korea is all the friendly, helpful people you encounter when out on hikes or long bike rides, or even just sometimes wandering through a park. Whether they're offering snacks on top of a mountain, help when you've got a flat tire, or words of encouragement through difficult stretches, they're everywhere. Thanks for the video!

[@lostthenfound]

It's so true eh @MikeFromKorea! Koreans are so helpful and caring, especially when you are in times of need like this. That was one of the main reasons I fell in love with this place. It feels like no matter where you go, people are rooting for you and looking out for you. Definitely have to try and return the favour here and there because I feel spoiled sometimes! Haha. Hope all is well and you're enjoying the nice weather we've been having (except today haha).

[@MikeFromKorea]

The weather has been great! I'm enjoying it while it lasts, because I know we're not far away from 30º+ days.

[@lostthenfound]

Haha you're right! Still trying to learn how to survive the summers here!

[@cyberiansg]

Love your channel. Hope to see more of your cycling video

[@lostthenfound]

Hey @cyberiansg thank you so much for your support and generousity! Honestly just watching us from time to time is enough, but your donation helps us a lot to make this our full-time job and continue the weekly videos, so it's much appreciated! Hope you have an amazing week filled with peace and happiness! And hope you can see some beautiful scenery here and there too!

[@skitakaujou]

한국의 잘발달된 자전거길은 전쟁시 유용하게 쓰입니다. 비상시를 위해 자전거는 꼭 필요합니다.

[@dericmpark8381]

Thanks!

[@lostthenfound]

@dericmpark8381 thank you so much for all of your generosity and support! We really appreciate it and it motivates us to keep trying hard and make better videos! Hope you are healthy and happy, and thanks so much for everything! 😊 - Matt and Yujin

[@hoju.namja.]

Love that last bit of the video when she's pulled up. So great.

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much @hoju.namja.! Hahah she saved my dumbass for sure! 🤣

[@daniels.2720]

​@@lostthenfound stuff happens !!

[@TheDrdressup]

Great video. I hardly watch vlog-style stuff but these are so well-edited and the ideas are great

[@lostthenfound]

Wow @TheDrdressup thanks so much for the nice message! You made our day with this one!

[@eliasorbon450]

You truly excelled with with this video. It stands out as your best work so far, blending storytelling with a depth of emotion that makes it exceptionally relatable. Unlike your previous, more informational videos, this one offers a compelling glimpse into the challenges of everyday life, showing beautifully how universal these experiences are. No matter who you are or where you are, things go wrong, and the way you depicted handling these situations was both realistic and inspiring. Flat tires happen to everyone. Even twice in a row! I particularly enjoyed the storytelling, which was top-notch. It resonated with me, especially the parts about living in the countryside of Korea. The tranquility there contrasts so starkly with the hustle of the city. Having moved from Seoul to the countryside myself, I experienced that same breath of fresh air-literally and metaphorically. The countryside's night skies, the quiet, the natural beauty from rivers to mountains, and even seeing an otter couple swimming in the Nakdong river, all contribute to a serene environment that's a welcome change from the stark megalithic soulless urban areas. There are some beautiful urban areas like Eulji-ro, but they are few and far between these days. I look forward to more videos from you, hoping they continue to offer such beautiful insights and stories.

[@lostthenfound]

Hey Elias thanks so much for the nice message! I enjoy making these types of videos a LOT more than the informational videos (takes me about 25% of the time to edit too haha). Also I completely agree that being in the countryside is by far one of the most enjoyable aspects of being in Korea. I'm definitely learning a lot to appreciate the beauty here, and the fact that it's all so accessible by bike is really underrated I think. Not having to prepare multiple days worth of food or having to worry about bears/other dangerous animals as much gives you a lot of peace of mind to just focus on the sights instead of surviving. Definitely excited to explore more, and hope you can get out there too and check out some cool places in Thailand as well! Take care eh!

[@lainyasya]

마지막에 도와드리고 싶어했던 사람 본인입니다 우연찮게 유튜브에 추천영상으로 올라와서 보게됐네요 영상을 보다가 얼굴을 보고 어?했네요 강화도 주변엔 트럭이 많이 지나다니고 길에 파편들이 많이 떨어져있어서 꽤 위험한데 잘다녀오신거 같아서 다행입니다 앞으로도 조심히 다니시고 좋은 영상 부탁드리겠습니다

[@lostthenfound]

와!! @lainyasya님 댓글 남겨 주셔서 감사합니다! @lainyasya님은 진짜 친절하시고 그 때 엄청 많이 도와 주셔 가지고 감동을 받았어요! 감사합니다! 저는 평화누리자전거길을 다 다녔고 생각보다 재미있더라고요! @lainyasya님도 항상 조심히 타시고 언젠가 다시 뵐 수 있었으면 좋겠어요! 즐거운 하루 되세요~

[@donnahollman4259]

Such a great video guys!!👍 Love how you both problem-solve with smiles on your faces!! Way to go Yujin for driving all that way on your own!!👍

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much Mom! ❤️ Yujin did amazing with the driving for sure! It's so hard to drive in Seoul with all of the traffic and different roads everywhere, but she's a fast learner!

[@bikechingu]

Still a great start Matt! Now you know how to take care of your bike better. Ride safe and regards to Yujin!

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks a lot Thoan! Haha I'm a total rookie when it comes to bike maintenance! Btw I don't know if you've cycled the Pyeonghwa Nuri Bike Path before, but you should definitely check it out! There was a spot to see a bit of North Korea on Ganghwa-do, and the path itself is in really good condition. Hope you're enjoying the nice weather! Stay safe and happy cycling!

[@bikechingu]

@@lostthenfound I did Pyeonghwa Nuri Path going to Imjingak and back to Seoul. Been to Ganghwa-do but on a motorcycle. We entered Ganghwa Peace Observatory, the closest place you can get to see North Korea. You and Yujin should visit it.

[@lostthenfound]

Oh nice nice! Would be so much fun to explore by motorcycle as well! They blocked off the path to the Ganghwa Peace Observatory a couple of days ago when I went there and now only people from Ganghwa-do can go there I think, so the closest I could get was Yeonmi-jeong, but I could still get a little view of North Korea. Excited to explore more of the path!

[@Mudskipper9876]

Thanks again for another great video.

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much for the kind words @Mudskipper9876!

[@howardlee7189]

It was good to see you starting cycling adventures again. Thank you for the great vlog. Regards

[@lostthenfound]

Thank you so much Howard! It felt great to be on the bike again for sure! Just completed day 2 and 3 (back home to edit) and ended up seeing the mountains in North Korea from a viewpoint which was pretty interesting. Excited to check out more! Hope you have a wonderful week, and thanks again for everything!

[@nonblocking]

잘 보다가 마지막에 반전이 있었네요ㅎ 역시 아내가 최고입니다. 항상 안전한 라이딩 하세요!🚲

[@lostthenfound]

@nonblocking님 감사합니다! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 저는 오래동안 자전거 타면서 펑크 난 적이 거의 없어서 준비가 하나도 안 됐어요! 가끔씩 이렇게 배워야되는 것 같네요~ 🤣 @nonblocking님도 안전한 라이딩 하세요! 🚴‍♂️

[@aletheia3]

Interesting! I didn't know about this DMZ path.

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks a lot @aletheia3! It just opened up recently apparently. I didn't know about it either!

[@marcellostraps]

I used to get tons of flats and even bent bicycle rims when cycling outside of bike-specific paths here in Ansan. There tends to be a lot of holes, gaps, sharp edges and road debris outside of areas that are specifically designed for bikes. If you ride on roads or highways, there also tends to be a lot of car wreckage debris on the side of the road such as headlights, bumpers, broken glass, pieces of fenders, etc. I've recently switched to a carbon framed bike with carbon wheels for long distance training, but it is un-ridable outside of smooth bike paths. A mountain style bike seems to be the best choice for city rides, especially something with a bit of suspension. Maybe a mountain style bike with asphalt tires. Also, a lot of bike shop "experts" have told me that using anti-flat sealant in my tubes is "useless", but the number of flats I've gotten drastically decreased after I started using sealant. I used to get maybe 1-2 flats a month, and now it is more like 1 per year.

[@lostthenfound]

It's really tough to cycle without a mountain bike with all of the debris on the roads eh? Also thanks so much for the tip @marcellostraps! I've never used anti-flat sealant but I'll look into it. I really don't want to have to invest in a new bike when I already have one that's perfectly fine otherwise.

[@CRJ12345]

It opened before 2023.. I ride it in 2021 and did the digital stamps (they send you some freebies once you complete it).

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks for the message @CRJ12345! I only just realized this last week, and corrected myself in the newest video I uploaded. I couldn't get the digital stamps to work on my phone unfortunately though!

[@p0skar1]

I always carry patches with me, and only change the tube when the hole is too large to patch. I know that it's said that patches are just temporare fixes, and should change the tube whenever possible, but personally I've never had any issues riding patched up tubes :)

[@lostthenfound]

Oh thanks so much for the advice @p0skar1! I'm going to carry patch kits with me at all times from now on! I definitely got way too confident, as I've just had incredible luck until now. Take care!

[@marialeemlb1574]

Hi - from Colorado, US. Caught your video last week on trail systems and it was a game changer for me. Preparing for trip - solo- with my bike and S. Korea was a maybe but after watching your video It is a definite yes. Planning on taking 2 trails you covered and riding 160-240 km's per day for a week. Really enjoy your channel

[@lostthenfound]

Hi @marialeemlb1574 thanks so much! Really glad to hear that the bike videos were helpful! Wow 160-240 km per day! You can go a lot further than me haha. That's amazing! Hope you have a wonderful trip to Korea and enjoy the countryside! Happy cycling! 🚴‍♂️

[@marialeemlb1574]

@@lostthenfound lots of time in the saddle - looking forward to the journey. Will continue to watch and learn from your adventures. Thanks again

[@janetlee6083]

Another great informative video! I love how cheerful Yujin was when she came to come pick you up. My partner was looking for a 2 or 3 day bike trip to do next week. This one looks promising, I see the infographic picture in the links. Do you know what percentage of the path is shared with cars?

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much @janetlee6083! Haha Yujin was looking for an excuse to practice driving (she's been learning recently), so she was excited to be able to use her skills! As far as a 2-3 day bike trip goes, I think it's perfect! There is just one small section shared with the cars (in between the Han River and Daemyeong-hang), but there are a lot of farms around the highway section, so you could just follow the farm roads instead and it would be a lot more peaceful. My recommended route would be this: naver.me/FwSd3YbF It's 140 km round trip from Seoul, you get to see a little view of North Korea from 연미정 (Yeonmi-jeong) and instead of cycling on the highway like I did here (naver.me/GsPqOfoi) I would use the little farm roads nearby instead. It'll take a bit longer but worth it in my opinion. Also use Naver Maps for directions, as there are a lot of closed sections that the army closed off, and Kakao didn't update the map with those sections. Hope your partner has fun! There are so many things to see on the ride!

[@daniels.2720]

Lesson learned I know too !! Now I carry tubes + the Patch kits for when I happen to get multiple punctures. (BTW: check the INSIDE of the tire for small debris that will sometimes lodge itself - which will rupture the new tube !) Thanks for sharing & Best of Luck to you both in the future.

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much for the tips @daniels.2720! Will check the inside of the tire as well to make sure there is nothing inside. It's pretty crazy, but my wife and I have cycled over 5,000 km here while only getting about 1 or 2 flats, so I thought I was invincible to them! Was definitely about time I faced a situation like this. Will always carry tubes + patch kits from now on!

[@Geeraffe]

Escape the city is so easy - yesterday I was up Obongsan on a beautiful spring day 👍 Transition? Kids?

[@lostthenfound]

It's amazing how easy it is to escape the city here eh @Geeraffe! Really lucky with that. Wow Obongsan must have been beautiful too! Never hiked up there but will have to check it out someday! Also no kids for us, and we will make a video when we are ready to share our new plans!

[@Geeraffe]

@@lostthenfound you must head to the hills ! Once you have broken through the sea of seniors at the trail head you can be on your own for quite a while amongst nature 👍👍

[@MrChaotio]

Great video hahaha. At least you enjoyed the gogi and soju 😂. Another emergency option is to find a Daiso: they usually have patches. Looking forward to your new adventures!

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much @MrChaotio! You're right about Daiso too! Definitely a good resource for bike parts when needed!

[@ALEX-cs6vo]

Awesome! Does this path go all the way across to East Coast and Unifications Park? Curious... I see you and Yujin using your phones for everything including buying things at small convenience stores etc etc.-- Can you still use cash as easily as always? Or does everything transaction and query have to be done with a phone and data plan? I use my phone for a lot of stuff including navigation, but I never do banking or buy stuff with my phone (I'm paranoid). The last time I did a bike tour in Korea I didn't make a single reservation for anything. I just rolled into town at the end of the day, found hotel and asked if they had an air conditioned room. No problem. Can this still be done? Because, again, I hate using my phone for making reservations and paying..... Thanks!

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much Alex! The path doesn't go to the East Coast yet, but I think they are planning on extending it someday which will be super awesome! Just came back from another 2 days riding it and it's really fun! Hope you can check it out someday! Also we both use Samsung Pay to pay for everything here which is the exact same as using a credit card, but no worries about having to use a phone as you can still use cash everywhere no problem except to get on buses now (they stopped taking cash last year). You can only use T Money now. Also no worries at all about just stumbling into places without reserving! As long as it's not a long weekend at a tourist spot then there should be vacancies nearby. Also let us know if you are in Seoul and have some extra time to [e-mail] and maybe we can grab some food/beers or something!

[@ICDeadPeeps]

I'm curious if they make a generator add-on for a bike to charge your electronics and if it would be more efficient than solar panels. Another great video BTW!

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks so much @ICDeadPeeps! I've heard that there are bike powered generators to use as well, but I've never used them before, and I imagine it would be more complex than the solar panel. Would be better for the days without as much sun though!

[@matheus-castro]

Nice video! May I ask what app is being used at 17:39 for location sharing? Is it Kakao Map?

[@lostthenfound]

Thanks a lot @matheus-castro! The app is Kakao Map. There is a feature on there to share locations with friends on Kakao Talk.

[@sitoudien9816]

Can you explain the cycling culture there. I'm an avid cyclist and watched many videos from Korea. How do you explain non pros riding 10k plus bikes and wearing the best kit? I've seen documentaries of Koreans borrowing money and going into debt to fund their lifestyle. Are they really just rich?

[@lostthenfound]

Hey @sitoudien9816 this is an interesting question! Obviously I can't answer for everyone, but in general I would say that a lot of Koreans focus more on buying the best gear for sports than what I was used to back in Canada. This could be because a lot of people live with their parents until they are married so they can save up easier, they might feel pressure from society, or they might just really want to go "all in" with their hobbies and buy the best stuff. Of course everyone is different, but the GDP here is not especially high compared to the rest of the developed world, and although a lot of people here appear wealthy by appearance for my standards, there is a good chance that they have spent a huge proportion of their salary on what they own, or they even went into debt to do so.

[@sitoudien9816]

@@lostthenfound Thanks for the reply. One other thing. I see a lot of outdoors adventurers wearing full make up. Like hiking, cycling, camping. While they are YTubers looking their best. I mean don't they sweat or tan and ruin their make up? Is it a cultural thing?

[@lostthenfound]

Yeah lots of people here wear full make up even when they do activities outdoors. It's getting a bit less overtime though. I don't know how they pull it off though to be honest!

[@larrygoldstein718]

Thanks!

[@lostthenfound]

Hey @larrygoldstein718 thank you so much for your generousity and support! Even just watching our videos from time to time is a ton of support for us, and your donation helps us out a ton to continue making videos weekly. We really appreciate it, and hope you have a wonderful week filled with peace, happiness, and maybe even a little bit of adventure!