The 15th Boryeong Mud Festival

The Boryeong Mud Festival, one of Koreas most unusual yet popular festivals, opened on July 14 under the title of Experience Mud with Global Friends. It will be run for eleven days until July 24 at Mud Square at Daecheon Beach. At the 15th Boryeong Mud Festival, people can experience clean mud, which is good for the skin, and enjoy swimming at Daecheon Beach. The mud produced in Boryeong contains various active components that prevent aging of the skin and also contains glutinous components (colloids) and crystal components, so it can be used for such physical treatments as sand baths or saunas. In addition, it contains antibacterial components, so its very effective in curing external injuries. Its exported to such countries as the U.S., China, and Japan. This mud festival features a total of 49 programs and concerts, including mud self-massage, mud mob scenes, mud air bounce, experiencing mud flats, a green-plugged festival, and mud concerts.

VOCABULARY WORDS mud component - prevent aging

Getting back to our roots

Gochang, with a population of about 60,000, is growing as an increasing number of people who wish to live off the land move there. Last year, a total of 1,012 newcomers arrived, about four percent of all Koreans who moved to rural areas. About 1,500 people will settle here this year, said Park, from the agricultural center. A major reason for Gochangs growing population is its undeveloped, rural character. Unpaved old paths covered with hwangto are still found in Gochang and many walking trails provide a glimpse into the nature of the county. For example, a walking trail which starts at the Gochang Dolmen site, a Unesco World Heritage site, leads to a mud flat of the Yellow Sea. Another walking trail, called Bokbunja and Pungcheon Eel another famous local food runs through a tranquil arming village. There are endless bokbunja trees, tobacco plants, rugged cliffs and the Incheon River, often dubbed the Pungcheon River, that stretches about 31 kilometers (19 miles). The county says it is often the new arrivals who add new twists to Gochangs agricultural products. Park Jae-suk settled in Gochang seven years ago to pursue farming. She cultivates bokbunja and has a Web site and retail shop. After many trials and errors, she came up with a variety of recipes based on bokbunja as a way to attract more customers. Two of them are tteokgalbi, a Korean style meat patty cooked with bokbunja juice, and bokbunja kalguksu, a clam noodle soup. Instead of ordinary kalguksu, with its creamy colors of noodles, bokbunja kalguksu is pink. These unique dishes are available at Parks shop. For more information, call (063) 563-1756.

VOCABULARY WORDS population - unpaved tranquil agricultural rural -

VOCABULARY WORDS cavity - laboratory investing patent

Scientists in Chile have made a new chemical that makes teeth 'cavity proof'. It could be in use within eighteen months. It could also mean visits to the dentist become a thing of the past. The scientists are calling the chemical 'Keep 32' after the number of teeth we have in our mouth. In laboratory tests over seven years, 'Keep 32' wiped out all the bacteria that cause cavities in just 60 seconds. It also keeps working to fight the bacteria for several hours. In addition, it could also help fight gum disease. The team of scientists has already started trying to interest big American companies into using 'Keep 32'. "We are currently in talks with five companies interested in investing in our project or buy our patent," the researchers said. They say their product can be added to toothpaste, mouthwash or chewing gum and other dental care products, which would become 'bacteria busters'. The research team says 'Keep 32' could be added to food. It might even be possible one day to eat candy that does not cause tooth decay.