GANGWON-DO < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(HWACHEON=Yonhap News) As South Korea's famous ice-fishing festival kicked off its 23-day run in the northern town of Hwacheon on Saturday, the county's mayor Choi Moon-soon said he prepared diverse nighttime events for visitors to comfortably stay and enjoy.

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is set to run through Jan. 31 in the Gangwon provincial town 118 kilometers northeast of Seoul, offering some 70 various programs and activities, including bare hand fishing and sleigh riding.

The fishing of "sancheoneo," a special kind of trout known to live only in high-quality fresh waters, is one of the top activities during the festival. The organizing committee said it is planning to release some 150 tons of the local fish, roughly 600,000, for the event.

"With an aim of 200,000 visitors who would enjoy the winter festival programs in the daytime and stay overnight, (I) will make sure the festival is a practical help to boost the local economy," Choi told Yonhap News Agency.

Asked about record-high temperatures this winter, he said thanks to geological factors, the city could launch the festival as planned. Currently, the thickness of the ice in the lake of Hwacheon is about 24 centimeters, he said.

"Still, to relieve the anxiety of visitors, we have strengthened safety measures," Choi said.

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Source: Yonhap News (Jan. 11, 2016)