Here’s Why Julien Kang Hikes Shirtless In Freezing Korean Winter Weather

He even went viral for the photos.

The Korean-French model Julien Kang, who’s also an actor, is a familiar face from starring in K-Pop music videos, friendships with idols such as Red Velvet‘s Joy, and his various entertainment appearances.

This time he’s captured interest by going completely shirtless under unusual circumstances.

| @heroes_twt/Twitter

Through an Instagram post, Julien Kang shared photos of himself on the top of Cheonggye Mountain. While his muscular body took the spotlight for many, it was the fact that he went shirtless in such freezing winter weather that took the cake. Julien Kang had a particular reason for doing so, though.

| julienkang/Instagram

In a follow-up post from all the curious questions he’d received, Julien Kang explained that he hadn’t taken the photos to flex his physique. “I like hiking shirtless or in a tank top when it’s cold not to show off/some machismo thing.

Instead, going shirtless is all for his health: “I do it for the physiological benefits of cold exposure.” He even revealed some of the benefits.

| julienkang/Instagram

His bare skin exposure to freezing cold air provided benefits that kept the body in tip-top shape. “It’s been scientifically proven to reduce inflammation in the body, improve mood and focus (dopamine/serotonin), speed up metabolism, among others.” He had one word of caution.

| julienkang/Instagram

Going shirtless in such cold weather wasn’t for the faint of heart and should slowly be worked up into doing. “For those starting out, however, I don’t recommend you go out hiking like this until you’ve built up your cold tolerance. Baby steps!

Source: Instagram