Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival attracts thousands since opening

The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, one of Korea’s most famous annual winter events to go ice fishing, kicked off earlier this month at Hwacheon, Gangwon, and continues until Jan. 29. It’s the first time in three years the festival is back...

The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival kicked off on Jan. 7 at Hwacheon, Gangwon. Visitors are shown enjoying ice fishing for sancheoneo, a type of trout that only lives in clean fresh waters. [YONHAP]

The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, one of Korea’s most famous annual winter events to go ice fishing, kicked off earlier this month at Hwacheon, Gangwon, and continues until Jan. 29.

It’s the first time in three years the festival is back due to the pandemic. According to local media reports, as of Sunday, the ninth day, the event had garnered already 570,000 eager fishers.

Hwacheon county is one of the coldest places in Korea during the winter and this specific event sees visitors fish for sancheoneo, a type of trout that only lives in clean fresh waters, through more than 10,000 holes drilled through 30-centimeter (11.8-inch) thick ice.

The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival was named one of CNN’s “7 Wonders of Winter” back in 2011.

With an average of 50,000 people visiting every day, the festival provides a plethora of ice-related activities anyone can enjoy such as ice fishing, bobsledding, ice football, curling and ice skating.

There are also restaurants on site where visitors can taste fish — grilled, raw and even in soup.

While the event stays open daily during its run, the weather may influence which activities are open for the day. Last Friday, every program or venue except for an indoor ice sculpture plaza, which the event dubs as the “world’s largest,” was closed due to heavy rain.

Because the event is gaining so much popularity, Hwacheon county authorities announced last week that it would reinforce monitoring on secondhand sales of tickets for ice fishing via online sites.

For those who were unable to grab tickets online, the county asks to buy them at the official offline ticket booths.

Tickets are 15,000 won ($12.10). The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival provides fishing programs for foreigners as well. For more information, visit the event’s English website.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]