[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Korea's 7 best winter festivals you have to visit

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[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Korea's 7 best winter festivals you have to visit

Published: 12 Jan. 2024, 07:00 Updated: 25 Jan. 2024, 16:59

KIM DONG-EUN
kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr

Visitors hold a trout they caught at the Pyeongchang Trout Festival. [NEWS1]

In Korea, people "beat the heat with the heat," eating steamy hot bowls of soup or going to a sauna to feel refreshed afterward.

The same applies to the winter season for Koreans, as they go full out to enjoy winter sports and festivals.

Get the most out of Korea's frosty yet fun winter by visiting these seven winter festivals the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends.

Pyeongchang Trout Festival
평창송어축제

A child concentrates on catching trout despite the intense cold at the Pyeongchang Trout Festival in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon. [NEWS1]

Pyeongchang County hosts a trout festival through Jan. 28 this year at the Odae Stream. The annual festival attracted over 400,000 thousand visitors last year. You can fish trout at the stream and do so under a tent if you rent one for an additional cost. Tickets for ice fishing start from 25,000 won ($18.9) and go up to 43,000 won if you sign up for other activities. Ice fishing tickets with tents included start from 35,000 won per person, going up to 49,000 won if you add other activities.

If you are brave enough, you can even sign up for the program that lets you catch trout with bare hands, which takes place two to three times a day.

The best part of the festival is eating the fish you catch on the site, either raw or grilled.

1289-80 Hajinbu-ri, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
강원 평창군 진부면 하진부리 1289-80
Duration: until Jan. 28
Phone number: 033-336-4000
Website: https://www.festival700.or.kr/

Mount Taebaek Snow Festival
태백산 눈축제

The Mount Taebaek Snow Festival features mock buildings and installments built with ice and snow. [TAEBAEK CITY GOVERNMENT]

Taebaek in Gangwon hosts the Mount Taebaek Snow Festival, one of the grandest snow festivals in Korea, at Mount Taebaek National Park, Taebaek Culture Square and Hwangji Pond from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.

The yearly extravaganza features exhibitions of snow and ice sculptures, traditional Korean games and activities such as ice slides. Also part of the festival is the Starlight Festival at Hwangji Pond.

Korail Travel opened slots for a one-day round-trip package to Taebaek in a special train called the Paldo Market Sightseeing Train, or the Paldo Jangteo Gwangwang Train, on the festival's opening day, Jan. 26.

For 99,000 won, you can book the trip that comes with the festival entrance and a tour around Taebaek's famous Yongyeon Cave. Visit the Korail Travel website for more information.

@gotbcf
Duration: Jan. 26 - Feb. 4
Phone number: 033-553-6900 (Taebaek Cultural Foundation), 033-550-2828 (Tourism Information Center)
Website: https://tbsnow.co.kr/

Uljin Snow Crab Festival
울진대게와 붉은대게축제

Snow crabs are a specialty of Uljin County in North Gyeongsang. [ULJIN COUNTY OFFICE]

Uljin County is known for its snow crabs that get meatier and tastier in the late winter. They are laid out for sale at Hupo Port, where the Uljin Snow Crab Festival takes place, this year from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25.

If you are a fan of seafood, the festival is the chance to go all out and eat fresh crabs the way you like — steamed, seasoned or even cooked with instant ramyeon. Traditional Korean games and activities are also available for visitors.

Hupo-ri, Hupo-myeon, Uljin County, North Gyeongsang
울진군 후포면 후포항 일원
Duration: Feb. 22 - Feb. 25

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival
화천 산천어축제

A visitor beams after catching a sancheoneo, a type of freshwater trout, at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon County, Gangwon. [YONHAP]

Sancheoneo, or Korean mountain trout, is a type of trout that only lives in clean freshwater and a specialty of the Hwacheon Stream, which becomes crowded when the annual Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival comes around every January. The festival kicked off on Jan. 6 this year and will continue until Jan. 28. Last year, the festival attracted around 1.3 million visitors.

A sancheoneo flashes out of the water at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon County, Gangwon. [YONHAP]

강원특별자치도 화천군 화천읍 하리 2-1
2-1 Ha-ri, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon County, Gangwon State
Duration: Jan. 6 - Jan. 28
Website: https://www.narafestival.com/01_icenara/

Hueree Camellia Festival
휴애리동백축제

Camellia blossoms at Hueree Natural Park in Seogwipo, Jeju [YONHAP]

If you are fond of flowers and want to see them despite the winter cold, traveling south to Jeju Island is a good idea, where you will be greeted by its warm weather and, more importantly, magenta-pink camellias at the Hueree Camellia Festival at Hueree Natural Park in Seogwipo.

Visitors to the festival can also sign up for tangerine picking, which Jeju is known for.

The festival started in November and will run until Jan. 31.

@jeju_hueree
256 Sillyedong-ro Namwon-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju
제주 서귀포시 남원읍 신례동로 256
Duration: until Jan. 31
Phone number: 064-732-2114
Website: https://www.visitjeju.net/kr/detail/view?contentsid=CNTS_200000000007856

Daegwallyeong Snow Festival
대관령 눈꽃축제

Visitors walk around snow sculptures at the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Pyeongchang is known not only for its trout but also for its heavy snow and ice-cold winters, which makes it only natural that Korea's first winter festival, the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival, started there in 1993.

This year, the festival runs from Jan. 27 to Feb. 11. The main attractions are large installments made out of ice and a "snow-gloo" park, or igloos built with snow. The festival's sledding zone is not to be missed if you are up for a ride across a 100-meter (328-foot) track.

You can find more information on the festival's official website.

@ksnowfestival
135-9 Daegwallyeong-ro Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
강원도 평창군 대관령면 대관령로 135-9
Duration: Jan. 27 - Feb.11
Phone number: 033-335-3995

Yangpyeong Icefish Festival
양평 빙어축제

A family poses for a photo at the Yangpyeong Icefish Festival. [YANGPYEONG ICEFISH FESTIVAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE]

Ice fishing, sleighing and traditional games are also classics that never fade out in Korea's winter culture. Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi, is hosting the Yangpyeong Icefish Festival this month from Jan. 19 to Feb. 18 at its Baekdong Reservoir, which provides an apt environment for smelt fishing with a depth of 22 meters.

If getting immersed in the local and traditional experiences is your thing, head to Yangpyeong for the full package of Korean winter activities.

25 Bosanjeong-gil Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi
경기도 양평군 단월면 22-3 (백동저수지)
Duration: Jan. 19 - Feb. 18
Phone number: 031-771-7750
Website: http://www.lakefestival.co.kr/index.php

Learn more about university life in K-campus.

BY KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]