Hosted by Mayor Choi Moon-soon of Hwacheon County
By Feature Editor Kim Hyung-dae
Ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps, totaling 50 in number, had a very rare experience of angling mountain trouts from under the frozen surface of the river in the Hwacheon County of the Gangwon Province in the Republic of Korea.
On January 6, 2024, the Year of the Blue Dragon in Korea, the ambassadors and other senior diplomats visited the famed ‘County of Sancheoneo’ (name of the fish) at the invitation of Mayor Choi Moon-soon organized by The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-langue news publications led by Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik since their inauguration in1985. Among the ambassadors attending the tour with their spouses and family members were Ambassadors Kirom Salohiddin of Tajikistan, Songkane Luangmuninthon of the Lao PDR, Paul Duclos of Peru, Juan Manuel Medina of Costa Rica, Andrew Chernetsky of Belarus, and Ambassador Mohammed Bensabri of Algeria.
There also were senior diplomats with their spouses from the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ethiopia, and Iraq. (See list of participating ambassadors and other senior diplomats at the end of this report.)
The ambassadors and other senior diplomats, some with their family members, had their fill of excitement and pleasure angling the mountain trouts right from under the frozen surface of the river each with a small fishing rod.
Located some 55.4 miles north east of Seoul, the Hwacheon County has a population of some 40,000 persons, including the military personnel and their dependents stationed in the region which borders on North Korea.
As soon as they arrived in Hwacheon, the ambassadors and other visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps were treated an impressive luncheon hosted by Mayor Choi Moon-soon where the prominent item on the menu was a variety of cooked mountain trouts, which were extremely tasty. A senior diplomat couple emptied two large dishes of roasted mountain trouts.
After the luncheon, the visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps were led to move to the actual venue of ice-fishing. Each guest, including the children, appeared to have caught several mountain trouts which they put in a transparent vinyl bag provided by the County authorities for that purpose.
Some diplomats and their spouses, however, put the fish back into the ice hole after taking picture of their catch.
The catch was very good especially by the family members of the ambassadors and senior diplomats participating in the tour.
After the ice-fishing, the visiting ambassadors, senior diplomats and their family members were invited to tour the ‘Ice Palace’ in the form and shape of a large dome.
And then, at the last leg of the tour, the visiting ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses were led to tour the exhibits at various old-time prints.
The Hwacheon county is famous for many picturesque, high mountains such as Daeseong San, Hwaak San, Baekam San, and Jeokgeun San. All of them have such beautiful valleys which are filled with the cleanest and coldest stream in the country. The valley water meanders into Paro-ho Lake and the Hwacheon Lake all year round.
In summer in the Hwacheon County, there are ‘Hwacheon Jjokbae Water Festival’ is held in once in every July when the summer romance in clear water and on green fields is wide-spread in visitors’ hearts. Then there is the ‘Hwacheon Hwaaksan Tomato Festival’ which is very famous for its best –themed family tour in the Republic of Korea.
Hwacheon boasts the cleanest environment in the Republic of Korea where the nature and towns people coexist in harmony.
The festival is held with the theme of “Unfreezing warm-heartedness, unmelting memories” in January, when everything is covered with ice and snow in Hwacheon, Gangwon province, famous for its clean water where Sancheoneo mountain trouts and otters live.
Festival Story: The festival is being held with the theme of “Never Freezing Warm-heartedness, Never Melting Memories” every January, when everything is covered with ice and snow in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, famous for its clean sea where Sancheoneo trouts and otters live.
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is recognized as one of the world’s four major winter festivals and was selected as Korea's representative festival in 2014. In January, at the depths of winter, the cold valley wind and clean water meet, making the earliest and thickest ice in the nation, a winter festival is held in Hwacheon, where more than a million people have visited 6 years in a row.
The Hwacheon Mountain Trout Festival is a winter festival with a unique theme, with over 30 kinds of various experience programs and things to see, which features Sancheoneo experience programs, emblematic of the Hwacheon County of the Gangwon Province, possessing clean natural environment thanks to the first-grade water quality at the upper stream of Bukhangang River, including breaking the thick ice in Hwacheoncheon Stream, where the thickness is over 40cm, for the young and old alike to participate in “Sancheoneo ice fishing.”
They catch the Sancheoneo mountain trouts swimming in the clean water where the river bed can clearly be seen, or trying “Catching Sancheoneo with Bare Hands” by jumping into the cold ice water and catching them bare handed. In addition, programs, such as ice and snow sledding, snow sculpture, and ice football are also offered.
The 2013 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival was held in Hwacheon for 23 days from January 5 to January 27. The festival offered a variety of activities, including Sancheoneo experience (ice fishing for sancheoneo, lure fishing, and catching sancheonoe with your bare hands), snow/ice activities, such as bobsleigh, ice sledding, ice football, Eolgomi Ice Bikes, a snowmobile zone, an Eolgomi Zone, a cable 2.0 zone, an adventure, sledding slope, winter trekking, an Eolgomi Castle, zipline riding, and cart rail car as well as cultural events, snacks and food.
The road to the Sancheoneo Ice Festival is resplendent with the austere beauty of winter. The entrance to the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is already bustling with people. Living up to its reputation as world-renowned festival, there are many attractions to see around. After parking, as the town is famous for having lots of snow, the entrance to the Sancheoneo festival is piled up with snow on the railroad tracks.
Finally, people start ice fishing, which is the signature activity of Sancheoneo Festival. While ice fishing, people often get so focused on the fishing so that they forget the cold. There are so many to catch that it won’t be long before you’ve got your fill. Sancheoneo, of the family Salmoniformes, is a cold-water freshwater fish that lives in cold mountain valleys, which can only live in 1st grade clean water. You definitely don’t want to miss out on tasting the sancheoneo. If you go to the roasting area, you can get a taste of roasted sancheoneo for KRW 20,000 each. Sancheoneo is grilled in a barrel, like sweet potato grill. It is difficult to express the taste of freshly prepared fish on the spot. The taste is out of this world.
After having roasted sancheoneo, head over to Eolgomi Castle, where you can take wonderful pictures. It’s a popular photo spot, filled with families, children, and couples all capturing pleasant memories. Everyone is wearing big smiles on their faces. Must be making some joyful memories. The castle has a crystalline square made of ice, which shines in the light. No detail has been left out, as it is adorned with ice sleds and the Forbidden City inside.
Hwacheon's weather is below zero! However, even on the coldest days, many people try catching sancheoneo with their bare hands. Afterward, you can run warm water over your hands to thaw out. People delight in watching the bare-handed fishers who, in their enthusiasm, forget the cold for a time. This is the driving force to warm the Festival venue.
After enjoying the festival, it is already evening. In the evenings, the Sancheoneo Festival has a food square where you can buy roasted Sancheoneo, fried food, raw dishes, and spicy fish stew, made with Sancheoneo. People eat raw Sancheoneo and hot and spicy Sancheoneo stew.
Time vanishes when people dig in to these dishes, consumed by the smells and tastes that overwhelm the senses.
It is a festival where you can bring back cold, but happy memories. Let's promise to meet again for the next Sancheoneo Ice Festival.
Greeting from Mayor Choi Mun-soon:
Excellencies, Madams, Senior Diplomats, I am Choi Moon-soon, mayor of Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do.
I always welcome everyone who visits our county, especially such distinguisied guests as ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses.
Hwacheon county has many high mountains such as Daeseong-San mountain, Hwaak-San mountain, Baekam-San mountain, and Jeokgeun-San mountain. All of them have so beautiful valleys which is filled with the cleanest and coldest stream in our country. The valley water meanders into Paro Lake and Hwacheon Lake all year round.
In addition to that, we hold ‘Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival’ in winter that is held in every January when our county is surrounded in the beautiful snowy scenery. In summer,
‘Hwacheon Jjokbae water festival’ is held in every July when the summer romance in clear water and on green fields is wide-spread in visitors heart. And we open ‘Hwacheon Hwaaksan Tomato Festival’ which is very famous for its best –themed family tour in the nation.
Hwacheon boasts the cleanest environment in the nation where the nature and town people coexist in harmony.
I invite you to visit us and enjoy our beautiful natural scenery and the innocent and warm hospitality.
We, the residents of Hwacheon will treat all of you and you will be welcomed anytime like our family.
List of visitors from the Seoul Diplomatic Corps:
Ambassadors: H.E. Andrew Chernetsky of Belarus, H.E. Mohammed Beasari of Algeria, H.E. Songkane Luangmuninthon of the Lao PDR, H.E. Paul Duclos of Peru, H.E. Kirom Salohidden of Tajikistan, H.E. Luis Pablo Ossio Bustillos of Bolivia (Charge d’Affairs), H.E. Juan Manuel Medina (Charge d’Affairs of Costa Rica), Some ambassadors with their spouses and other family members
Other senior diplomats: Mr. Alisher Abdusalomov (Counsellor of Uzbekistan), Mr. Norhadila Binti Ab Halim (Counsellor of Malaysia) Mr. Derrick Tanggapan, Deputy Director of MIDA Seoul, Air Commander Shamimul Islam (Defence Attache of Bangladesh), Mr. Sharif Alshrif, First Secretary of Iraq, Some senior diplomats with their family members.