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The 28 Th Polar Bear Swimming FeSTival a Polar Bear whaT? a Full day Busan’s annual icy plunge attracts Big crowds — and the attention of the BBc T he Busan Daily News is hosting the city’s annu- al Polar Bear Swimming Festival, a celebration of both the New Year and the company’s switch to the morning paper that is happening at Hae- undae Beach on Jan. 4 at 9 a.m. Now in its 28th year, the Polar Bear Swim has become a winter tradition in the coastal metropolis, with participants stripping down to their swim suits in freez- ing temperatures and jumping into the ice-cold seawater to show their winter spirit. This year, the festival will also host a marine industry exhibition in conjunction with the Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage to provide more ma- rine leisure attractions. Aside from serving as a fun winter activi- ty in the Busan community, the festival is a celebration of sub-zero winter weather that plays on the image of polar bears swimming in the frozen Arctic Ocean. It also offers participants a chance to pray for health and good fortune in the coming year, as well as being an opportunity for participants to cre- ate thrilling memories while enjoying the sea. The Westin Chosun Hotel hosted the first Polar Bear Swimming competition to cele- brate the Seoul Olympics in 1988. The event got started with approximately 100 partic- ipants, but since 2000 it has grown into a large-scale event with roughly 1,000 sign- ups each year. As the event has increased in size, the com- petition experienced its ups and downs, once facing operational difficulties that almost sus- pended the event. But after the Busan Ilbo began hosting the event in 2009, the festival has made steady and stable progress. The festival has drawn attention and love from all over the world thanks to the com- mendable work of the Busan Ilbo in hosting the event, which was selected as one of the 10 most unique winter sports events in the world by the BBC. The event gets started at 10:30 a .m. with an open- ing ceremony, performance and audience participation event on the main stage hosted by an emcee. This event also has a lot of giveaways, so keep your eyes peeled. Next, there will be a short warm-up exercise for the swimmers before they jump into the icy sea. After the water event is over, participants will be served hot food and beverages to warm up. The menu includes tteokguk (rice-cake soup), traditionally eat- en on the Lunar New Year to bring good luck in the coming year. In addition, there will be heaters in the rest area, where participants can relax and warm up while eating. Next, participants move to a steaming hot spring. Once the swimming portion of the day is over, partic- ipants can enjoy various exhibitions, including displays of equipment and materials related to the marine lei- sure industry. The participation fee for the entire day’s activities is 20,000 won per person, with applications accepted from Nov. 21 to Dec. 19. More info j Contact the festival offce at (051) 468-0163~5, or via email at bearbusan28@naver.com. ADvERTORIAL