The 23rd Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival visited 1 million people for 13 consecutive years. Isn’t it fun to do it in the country? Prejudice overturns head-on. Winter tourism continues in Gangwon-do, trout festival, and snow festival
It’s not fun to stay in Bangkok because it’s cold. It’s only good if it’s this rare thing. There is a place that comes to mind when it comes to the best place to enjoy winter properly. Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, especially is the place where the Sancheoneo Festival is held. I’m more excited about the memory of struggling to fish there just a year ago. So I left there.
In some cases, the festival itself is the purpose of travel, such as the Harbin Ice Lan Festival in China, Songkran in Thailand, and Diwali in India. It’s the power to visit the country only to see the festival. The 23rd Sancheoneo Festival, which began on the 10th, attracted 35,788 foreign tourists during the opening 10 days. Now that the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea is at an all-time high, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is playing a role in becoming a “reason to come to Korea.”
It’s been 23 years since it was created. It’s been reborn as a global festival
The Sancheoneo Festival has been reborn as a global festival visited by more than 1 million people for 13 consecutive years since it recorded 220,000 visits in the first year of 2003. The biggest reason for visiting the Sancheoneo Festival is also Sancheoneo fishing. Sancheoneo is called the ‘Queen of Valley’ because it lives only in the first-class valley. In North Korea, it is designated as a state-designated natural monument, and in Taiwan, it is designated as a protected fish species.
When you enter an ice fishing ground four times the size of a soccer field, you will see a scene where you are “ice kissing” rather than fishing. Participants lie face down with their faces close to the ice hole and wait for the Sancheoneo. This is because the water is clear and the light is blocked, so you can clearly see the Sancheoneo passing through the holes. Beyond bed soccer, it is a landscape that can be called bed fishing.
Hwacheon-gun operates fishing grounds and grilling sites exclusively for foreign tourists, and has continued to promote them intensively in Southeast Asian countries where it is difficult to access snow and ice. Recently, as the number of tourists from Arab countries such as Kuwait has increased, convenience facilities such as Muslim prayer rooms and interpretation support have also been strengthened.
Anis from Malaysia said, “I couldn’t come last year, so I really wanted to come this year. I was sorry that I couldn’t catch Sancheoneo, but I received one each by online reservation, he said. “The grilled Sancheoneo was really delicious.”
“Isn’t it fun to do it in the country?” Prejudice Wrecked by the Sancheoneo Festival
Festivals in the country are not fun. The prejudice that it is only large and has nothing to see is reversed head on when it comes to the Sancheoneo Festival. For the festival, 12,000 ice fishing holes are drilled in Hwacheon Stream every year over ice about 2 meters deep. Not only fishing, but also the scale of other things to play is different. The festival is so dense that you can barely look around all day long.
The sledding slope across Hwacheon Stream consists of a total length of 40m slope and a 100m ice section. In the ice sled experience zone, you can ride traditional sleds and family sleds made by Hwacheon-gun. The ice bobsleigh coming down the whirlwind-shaped tube tube has a considerable sense of speed. Ice soccer, ice park golf, and figure skating experience are also run.
You don’t have to be disappointed if you can’t catch a mountain streamer with a fishing rod. The annual Sancheoneo bare-handed experience awaits. In the host’s witty progression, the participants struggle to reach for the ice water and catch the Sancheoneo. Just looking at it makes me cringe.
Lee Kyung-dong, who participated in the bare-handed catch, said, “When I went into the ice water at 15 degrees below zero, I thought I should get out alive rather than catch a Sancheoneo,” adding, “But I held on until the end because people were watching.” “When I took a foot bath afterwards, I thought I would live until then,” he said.
Since 2008, the Sancheoneo Festival has been a global exhibition that brings together world-famous winter festivals. Spaces reminiscent of Harbin Ice Lantern Festival, Sapporo Snow Festival, and Quebec Winter Carnival are held throughout the festival. More than 30 local ice lantern makers participated in the indoor ice sculpture square to showcase large ice sculptures. Large snow sculptures that remind people of the Sapporo Snow Festival also attract attention.
The Santa Post Office, located in Ergomisu, is a space where Santa Village in Rovaniemi, Finland has been moved. Real Santa and Elves greet children, adding to the festive atmosphere. The weekend night festival is based on the motif of Winter Carnival in Quebec, Canada.
Winter Korean tourism to Gangwon-do, winter festival to follow
Starting with the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, winter festivals are continuing throughout Gangwon-do. Gangwon-do Province is playing a central role in Korea’s winter tourism as it often visits together as a linked tour. The 17th Pyeongchang Trout Festival, which opened on the 9th, will be held in Odaecheon until February 9. It started in 2007 led by local residents and grew into a representative cultural tourism festival designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This year, indoor fishing grounds and tent fishing were expanded, and golden trout events were added to enhance the fun.
From the end of January, the “snow cities” will wake up. The 2026 Taebaeksan Snow Festival will take place in the Taebaeksan National Park and Hwangji pond from Jan. 31 to Feb. 8. The whole city transforms into a huge snow sculpture exhibition hall. The 34th Daegwallyeong Snow Festival will mark the end of winter in Gangwon Province. This year’s festival, which will be held from February 13 to 22, has an overwhelming snow scene created by the abundant snowfall unique to the highlands. The snowflake tunnel, which blends with lights at sunset, is considered a representative photo zone.
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