ice fishing festival in korean
South Korea's coldest region, Hwacheon is home to an ice fishing festival in which thousands of competitors try to catch as many sancheoneo (Hangul: 산천어, wild trout) as possible. This takes place in the Hwacheoncheon (stream) during nearly the entire month of January. The festival organizers claim there are roughly 1,000,000 visitors annually.
Other annual events in Hwacheon include the Jjokbae (Hangul: 쪽배, water raft) Festival in late July, the Tomato Festival in mid-August, and the Dragon Festival.
Ice fishing is the activity of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.
It is a popular pastime in Canada, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and Germany.
In the United States, people from North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin,Iowa, Michigan and New York, New Jersey, and the states of New England, and other areas with lakes and long, cold winters enjoy the activity.