The western coastal city of Boryeong has signed a deal to export mud powder to New Zealand.
 
The South Chungcheong Provincial city known for its annual mud festival said on Monday that its mayor, Kim Dong-il, and the mayor of Rotorua in New Zealand, Steve Chadwick, signed on Saturday a deal to export five tons of Boryeong mud powder worth 75 million won, or 67-thousand-126 U.S. dollars.
 
A follow-up measure to a joint event partnership agreed upon in Rotorua last year, the deal will also stipulate that the South Korean city gives insight on organizing a mud festival to the New Zealand town.
 
Rotorua plans to launch its own mud festival, “New Zealand Mudtopia” in December.
 
Chadwick said the deal is not just about an exchange of products but about friendship between fellow human beings, adding it will open a new chapter in the relationship between the two cities and serve as a platform of cultural exchanges.
 
Kim said Boryeong Mud Festival is getting recognition from around the world as a sustainable festival, adding the deal will be a meaningful and great starting point for the festival’s further development.