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| Participants of the ice fishing festival enjoy winter fishing, Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 7. Yonhap |
A world-renowned annual ice fishing festival kicked off in the Gangwon Province county of Hwacheon on Saturday, after a two-year pause due to COVID-19.
The 2023 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival will continue for 23 days through Jan. 29 in the remote mountain town close to the inter-Korean border and about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, its organizers said.
It is the first event to be held normally after three years. The 2020 festival did not take place due to unseasonably warm weather, while the 2021 and 2022 editions were canceled due to the pandemic.
In the festival, participants try to catch "sancheoneo," a species of mountain trout, through holes cut in the surface of a vast frozen river, as well as take part in barehanded fishing, sledding, ice football and other events.
Organizers said they plan to release 171 tons of sancheoneo into the frozen river covering 61,054 square meters during this year's festival. Sancheoneo is a species of trout known to live only in very clean fresh water.
The tourists will also be given chances to taste grilled sancheoneo at a nearby cooking zone.
The organizers will also operate foreigner-only fishing, resting and cooking areas, and a prayer room for Muslims.
In particular, they will make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Korean and foreign visitors against COVID-19. Divers will also check the condition of the frozen river, such as the thickness of the ice, every day to determine the appropriate number of festival participants.
Launched in 2003, the event was chosen as the nation's best festival by the culture ministry in 2010 and drew more than 1 million visitors annually from 2006 to 2019. (Yonhap)
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