By Kim Seon Ah
Video = Park Dae Jin
Photos = Lee Jun Young
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo (mountain trout) Ice Festival kicked off on Jan. 11 in Hwacheon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, allowing visitors to fully enjoy the winter event.
The festival has been named one of the world's top four winter festivals along with the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, Harbin Ice Festival in China and the Quebec Winter Carnival in Canada.
It attracts about a million visitors annually, and offers winter romance and distinctive experiences for participants. The festival is popular with both local and foreign visitors, and as of Jan. 19, more than 35,000 foreign visitors alone have visited it.
Hwacheoncheon Stream, the festival's venue, is about an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Seoul. When a Korea.net staff writer visited the festival on Jan. 14, the place was filled with shiny snow and ice under the sun in a clear, blue sky, making it feel like the backdrop of a kingdom in a fairy tale.
The frozen stream was packed with visitors enjoying ice fishing, and their desire to catch mountain trout was fervent enough to melt the frigid winter cold.
The festival's highlight is the ice fishing and catching mountain trout with bare hands. Drilling a hole in the thick ice and catching the fish that lives only in high-quality water is popular among both Koreans and foreign nationals.
Anne Hwang (age 43), who was fishing in a section exclusively for foreign nationals, said, "I came to Korea with my two sons."
"My sons are the type who hate to lose, so I hope they catch at least one fish here."
Amy Poh (55) from Singapore said, "I have caught shrimp in Singapore but this is my first time catching mountain trout, so it is fun."
Foreign tourists take a photo on Jan. 14 photo at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo (mountain trout) Ice Festival on Hwacheoncheon Stream in Hwacheon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.
The festival has facilities to ensure that visitors from around the world can enjoy the event without inconvenience. Apart from a fishing section exclusively for foreign tourists, it also rents fishing rods, offers interpretation services in English and Chinese, and has a prayer room for Muslims. Of the 1.53 million visitors to the festival last year, 130,000 of them were foreign tourists.
Hwacheon-gun County Mayor Choi Moon-soon held an interview with Korea.net on Jan. 14 at Hwacheon Sancheoneo (mountain trout) Ice Festival on Hwacheoncheon Stream in Hwacheon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.
The county pays meticulous care to make the festival safe. A 12-member emergency team composed of civil servants and civilians daily checks the ice's thickness, sturdiness, and whether there are any cracks. There are also safety guards throughout the site.
Hwacheon-gun County Mayor Choi Moon-soon said, "Despite the coldness of minus 20 degrees Celsius, our staff members go in the water to confirm the ice's safety."
"We are doing our best in safety management so that visitors can rest assured and enjoy the festival."
The festival is slated to be held until Feb. 2. It is a must-visit if you want to enjoy the special experience of snow, ice and mountain trout.
sofiakim218@korea.kr