South Korea hosts annual ice fishing festival

Photo: Winterfriend.com, photo editor: Adelina Mamedova

The famous Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2026, an annual ice fishing event held in Hwacheon County, a mountainous region about 90 kilometers from Seoul, South Korea, is welcoming visitors on Jan. 10, Yonhap reported.

The fishing event is centered on the sancheoneo, a Korea-native salmonid fish species caught on the frozen Hwacheoncheon Stream. The event allows visitors to try angling through holes cut in the ice, using lures or even bare hands. The caught fish can then be cooked within the festival area and prepared as sashimi, grilled fish or steamed fish.

Apart from fishing, the event also offers other winter entertainment activities such as sledding, ice soccer, a family-friendly ice bobsleigh and additional winter attractions. There are also snow sculptures surrounding Eolgomi Castle and the Santa Post Office.

According to Yonhap, last year the festival welcomed 1.86 million visitors, 122,000 of whom came from abroad.

The festival will run from Jan. 10 through Feb. 1. Fees vary by activity.