Before you listen: My new microphone and I are still in the “getting to know you” phase. Unfortunately, the first 22 minutes of this recording are a bit rough. I desperately wanted to re-record it, but then I remembered the lesson from this week’s books: compromise. In the spirit of choosing sanity over perfection, I’m sharing it as is. The audio improves significantly after the 22-minute mark. Thank you for your “warmth” and patience as I navigate this learning curve!

This week’s episode is a book review, but it’s also a thank-you letter to the people doing the invisible work of care.

It begins with my recent “Korean warmth logic” series (warm floors, hot soup, hand warmers), then follows the trail to three Korean books: Kim Yudam’s The Caring Heart (돌보는 마음) and Care and Work Vol. 1 & 2 (돌봄과 작업 1·2)—essays that quietly dismantle the Supermom myth and name what we usually swallow: guilt, compromise, boundaries, and the mental load.

Companion note: Read the newsletter + listen to this episode to get the full experience—same story, different layers.

Links

* This week’s newsletter (companion post)

* “So, Is South Korea Going Extinct or What?”

* Kim Yudam in English (Words Without Borders, 2025)

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