By Park Hye Ri

A combined 120 festivals featuring seasonal food and cultural events for summer are scheduled across the country.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety on July 14 said it will help stimulate tourism and consumption in the provinces by publicizing beach and water festivals and events this month and the next for the summer vacation season.

First, two of summer vacation's leading events are the Boryeong Mud Festival (July 25-Aug. 10) in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do Province, and the Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival (July 26-Aug. 3) in Jangheung-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province.

The mud festival, a hit with foreign as well as domestic tourists, offers activities using natural mud such as experiences, self-massage and body painting. The water fest is great for families through programs like freshwater fishing, street parades and musical performances.

Lovers of seasonal summer cuisine can attend the Hongcheon Waxy Corn Festival (July 25-27) in Hongcheon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, and the Hyangsu Okcheon Grape-Peach Festival (Aug. 1-3) in Okcheon-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.

The Yeosu Marine Festival (July 25-27) in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, will offer free experiences in marine sports such as banana boats, bandwagons, kayaks and canoes in preparation for the 2026 Yeosu World Expo.

The Songdo Beach Festival (Aug. 9-15) in Incheon will have water play zones and a playground resembling a white sand beach for families during the summer vacation season at Songdo Beach, which is easily accessible from the city center.

The ministry also announced its reinforced capacity to respond on-site by forming a joint public-private team to check the enforcement of the price display system and running a reporting center for excessive fees.

hrhr@korea.kr