Summer Weekend Spots

[Anchor Lead]

The recent heat wave is driving Koreans to the beaches, rivers, and the mountains: anywhere to cool off. Let's take a look at how Koreans beat the heat over the weekend.

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A green pine forest and an expansive white beach complement the sparkling blue sea. The scorching heat seems to dissipate almost instantly as the rolling waves sweep over the vacationers. A warm sand bath follows the frolicking in the sea, almost as if they're burying their daily stress deep in the sand as well. Vacationers who have been waiting for the summer all year long are now having fun on the beaches along the country's east coast.

[Soundbite] Park Seong-wan & Kwon Eun-ju(Vacationers) : "I came with my friend after hearing that the beach was open. There are lots of people and the water's clean. It's fun and exciting."

About 60 beaches along Gangwon-do Province's eastern shores opened over the weekend to attract some 83,000 people a day. Seven beaches in the Busan area were also jam-packed with visitors, almost 310,000 per day.

[Soundbite] Kang Gyeong-min & Choi Sang-hee(Vacationers) : "I was really exhausted from work, but now that I'm here my boyfriend, I feel much better and healed."

A sandy beach, nestled in the inlet of an island in the Yellow Sea, welcomes summer visitors. A cluster of tents and parasols covers a stretch of the beach. A water boarder slices through the dark green water, leaving a white foamy trail in his wake. Some people enjoy the cool river wind on a rubber boat and some are thrown into the water from a huge inflated float. The valleys are bustling with people as well. They jump into the cold water. And stand under the pouring water to chase away the heat. As expected, water parks were also swarming with people. Both children and adults excitedly throw themselves against the man-made waves. And a winding water slide dumps a boatful of people into the cool water. Koreans left their daily grind behind to escape the heat wave over the weekend and have some fun in the water.