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Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty -
People take a selfie during the Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The 20th annual mud festival features mud wrestling and mud sliding. Photo: AP -
Festival-goers enjoy the mud during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Tough mud at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea. Photo: Boryeong Mud Festival -
Men slide in the mud during the Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The 20th annual mud festival features mud wrestling and mud sliding. Photo: AP -
Festival-goers enjoy the mud during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images
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Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty of -
People take a selfie during the Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The 20th annual mud festival features mud wrestling and mud sliding. Photo: AP of -
Festival-goers enjoy the mud during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Tough mud at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea. Photo: Boryeong Mud Festival of -
Men slide in the mud during the Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The 20th annual mud festival features mud wrestling and mud sliding. Photo: AP of -
Festival-goers enjoy the mud during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
Festival-goers enjoy during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. Photo: Getty Images of -
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Revellers danced and wrestled on Friday in South Korea's capital of mud, kicking off a nine-day festival expected to lure millions of people to this quaint coastal city.
Boryeong, which is hosting the 20th annual Mud Festival about 190km southwest of the capital, Seoul, says its mud has special powers to refresh the skin and soothe the soul.
Besides pitching skincare products made from nearby mudflats, the festival also gives visitors the chance to play in tonnes of the greyish goo at mud wrestling pits, mud slides and mud baths.
"I'm having a great time right now. I love it," said Joshua Parrish, an American soldier based in South Korea.
The festival is a major boost to the local economy. Organisers said four million people, including 439,000 foreigners, flocked to the city last year.
This year's event runs to July 30.
Reuters
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