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The famous ice fishing festival of Hwacheon County in northeastern Korea has officially begun.
The event, which was introduced by an international media agency as one of the winter wonders of the world, attracted over 101,000 visitors on its opening day.
The opening ceremony took place in the mountainous town of Gangwon Province, about 25 kilometers from the inter-Korean border and about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency. The festival will last for 23 days, until January 28, organizers said.
Since before 9 a.m. on January 6, hundreds of people gathered around the frozen Hwacheon Stream, catching sancheoneo, a type of salmon known to live only in very clean waters.
Participants can fish through small holes cut into the ice or trap fish in the flowing water, but the most exciting activity is focusing on catching fish with bare hands in the pool.
Nearby, outdoor fish grilling areas have been set up so that visitors can prepare and enjoy their freshly caught fish.
Organizers said this year they plan to release 160 tons of sancheoneo fish into the 61,654-square-meter glacier, which includes an area reserved for foreigners.
Since its inception in 2003, the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival has become world-famous, attracting over 1 million visitors each year.
The festival has become the “backbone” of the economy of Hwacheong County, which has a population of just 24,000, generating direct economic value of more than 100 billion won ($76.5 million).
