By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
In summer, sand is hardly seen at Haeundae Beach in Busan as most of it is covered by numerous colorful parasols. Officials will apply for a listing in the Guinness World Records for the largest number of parasols on a beach.
Haeundae Ward Office plans to seek the registration this summer together with the Korea Record Institute, the agency responsible for arranging registration for Koreans.
The number of parasols set up on the 1.5-kilometer beach stood at 12,000 during the peak season last summer.
The ward office said it has recently asked the institute whether the cluster of parasols could be listed as a world record. In response, the institute said, ``very likely.''
Beaches in other countries do not have such scenes of parasols, so the Guinness World Records does not have a category concerning the number of parasols on a beach yet.
``Setting up parasols like that is very unique in Korea. The Guinness World Records registers an item that shows a unique culture. The parasol is also worth applying,'' Kim Deok-eun, president of the institute, said.
He said, for example, a Korean singer has been registered for performing ``pansori'' (Korean traditional narrative songs) for more than nine hours.
Following this positive perspective, the Haeundae office plans to apply for the world record in August after counting the exact number of parasols with the institute.
``We decided to apply to promote tourism at Haeundae. We will hold a large-scale event in which vacationers can participate and make a record number of parasols,'' a ward office official said.
The beach began to be covered with parasols in the early 1990s. They are available for 5,000 won for a day.