The annual Rio Carnival is under way to the beat of samba music and the sight of brightly sequinned dancers.

Thirteen samba teams are vying for this year’s title of Rio Carnival champion. The annual celebration that runs from Saturday through Fat Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro has drawn 800-thousand tourists this year.

Meanwhile, in Sao Paulo, a number of South Korean flags dot a samba competition.

Sao Paulo is home to 50-thousand Korean expatriates, and this year, an 80-member Korean team is taking part in the city's samba parade for the first time in history.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Koreans' emigration to the Brazil, and South Korea will send a 500-member samba team to the Rio Carnival 2013 to commemorate the anniversary.