Muddy escape from the summer heat Boryeong Mud Festival is back!

In other news.

It's not vacation season without this festival here in the country.

People from around the world gather in Boryeong city to enjoy the summer in the mud.

Our Park Hyo-been takes us there.

Splashing, tumbling, and soaking up the fun.

Despite the scorching heat, people are all smiles as they dive into the mud and leave the summer swelter behind.

Daecheon Beach in Chungcheongnam-do Province is holding the 28th Boryeong Mud Festival, which opened last Friday.

"It's over 30 degrees here in Boryeong, but the more mud, the cooler it gets. This is why people head here to beat the summer heat."

What began as a local event has now become one of the most beloved summer festivals in the world, attracting around 1.6 million visitors last year, many of them from abroad.

The only goal here is to get dirty, together.

"Oh yeah, it's really fun."

"It's a lot more fun than we thought."

"The mud dunk tank was really good because we got fully submerged in mud."

"Yeah just completely covered."

"Hi, I'm from the U.S. and I am having a lot of fun here."

"I'm from Canada, I'm having so much fun. I've never been to an event like this before. It's been so fun."

"You can see it feels really good. I hope it's good for my skin. It doesn't feel sticky or dirty at all it actually feels really nice."

But the now-famous Boryeong mud wasn't always celebrated.

Back in the early 1990s, Daecheon Beach was seen as murky and uninviting, until it was discovered that the mineral-rich mud was great for the skin.

What was once worthless became a treasure, and by 1998, the Boryeong Mud Festival was born.

This year's event is bigger and bolder than ever.

Visitors can dive into a mudslide, spin through the mud barbeque, or simply cover themselves in the mineral-rich sludge.

There are special zones for families with young children

and by night, the energy ramps up with K-pop concerts and dazzling drone light displays.

Festival organizers say safety is a top priority, especially with the record-breaking heatwaves this summer.

"The heatwave has been especially intense lately, so we've prepared safety measures to make sure visitors can stay comfortable while enjoying the festival."

Officials say more than 2 million people from around the world are expected to join the festival this year.

To help visitors from overseas enjoy the fun, interpretation services are offered in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

The ultimate summer playground, Boryeong Mud Festival, runs until August 10th.

Park Hyo-been, Arirang News, Boryeong.