Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland's Midsummer Night Firefly Festival opens Friday and runs through Aug. 30.

The program lets visitors watch thousands of fireflies each night in an indoor forest, an ecology experience the park has run since 2017. Fireflies are considered an indicator of clean environments and are rarely seen in cities.

This year the experience is free, and the grounds have been redesigned around a camping theme, with photo zones, lighting and a nature-study area on firefly life cycles.

Visitors first enter an indoor space where staff explain how fireflies develop and why they glow, then move to a darkened forest room where the insects light up around them.

The firefly experience runs daily from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Lost Valley education center in roughly 15-minute sessions.

Busan looks back on its wartime past with Busan Heritage Night, a festival running through Saturday at Yurari Square near Yeongdo Bridge in Jung-gu.

Built around the theme "City of Memory, Busan," the event revisits Busan's years as South Korea's provisional capital during the Korean War.

Highlights include a media facade projected onto Yeongdo Bridge, a pop-up museum on modern daily life, a showcase of young artists at the Mildawon teahouse and a stamp tour.

Night markets, street snacks and walking challenges round out the lineup, offering travelers a hands-on way to experience the port city after dark.

The Boryeong Mud Festival runs through Aug. 9. Korea's biggest summer festival invites visitors to get messy at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province.

Slather on mineral-rich mud at the main zone, dodge mud water cannons during the Mud Mob Scene or keep things gentler at the family and water park zones. By day, mud slides and attractions cut through the heat. By night, drone shows light up the sea alongside K-pop, trot and hip-hop concerts.

General admission runs 12,000 won on weekdays and 16,000 won on weekends, with discounted family passes available.

The Semiwon Lotus Culture Festival runs through Aug. 17 at Semiwon, a garden in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Surrounded on three sides by Paldang Lake, it contains about 270 plant species.

The festival coincides with the lotus flowering season. Included are a special exhibition at the Lotus Museum titled "Lotus, Embroidering Life's Wishes," outdoor concerts, a stamp tour, craft classes and guided walks.

Semiwon was designated Gyeonggi Province's first provincial garden in June 2019. The site marks where scholar Jeong Yak-yong built a pontoon bridge across the South Han River in the Joseon era.

Admission is 7,000 won for adults and 4,000 won for children, seniors and groups.

Seoul Summer Beach returns for its fourth year, running through Aug. 9 at Gwanghwamun Square and Sejongno Park in central Seoul. Under the slogan "Wave Summer, Play Seoul," the city center turns into a summer retreat with water activities and shaded rest areas.

The Water Play Zone features a swimming pool, water slides, water buckets and a bounce pool. The Play Wave Zone offers a sand play area and rest spots alongside brand promotion booths. A separate market zone hosts a flea market run by small businesses, food trucks and other vendors.

There will be promotional events and giveaways from participating institutions and companies throughout the festival.