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Number of visitors to Hwacheon ice fishing festival tops 1 million mark

Published: 25 Jan. 2026, 12:56 Updated: 25 Jan. 2026, 15:13

Visitors ice fish at the 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, in Hwacheon County, Gangwon, on Jan. 24. [YONHAP]

The cumulative number of visitors to the world-famous annual ice fishing festival in Hwacheon County, a remote mountain town in Gangwon, has exceeded the 1 million mark, according to the event's organizers Saturday.

A total of 945,908 people had participated in the 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival as of Friday since the fest kicked off on Jan. 10, according to the office of Hwacheon County and Foundation Corporation NARA.

As more than 100,000 visitors are presumed to have come to the festival this weekend, the cumulative number of visitors exceeded the 1 million mark just two weeks after its opening.

The 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival will run through Feb. 1 in Hwacheon County, Gangwon.

Sancheoneo, also known as cherry salmon, is known to live only in very clean fresh water.

Since its debut in 2003, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival has consistently attracted more than 1 million visitors almost every year, earning global recognition.

The festival has transformed Hwacheon, a town with a population of just 23,000, into a renowned winter destination in Korea.

This year's festival has been evaluated as a success as even with poor weather conditions, the event's organizers prioritized safety, earning the trust of visitors.

Visitors pose for photos at the 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, in Hwacheon County, Gangwon on Jan. 24. [YONHAP]

To ensure safety, organizers restricted the number of visitors to the fishing area and widened space between fishing holes during the first week of opening after divers assessed the ice formation and thickness beneath the surface were different from usual.

The 2026 ice fishing festival comprised various cultural programs beyond the main program of sancheoneo fishing, permitting visitors to enjoy the fest in a more diverse manner.

Hands-on activities that allow visitors to fully enjoy the snow and ice this year included sledding on a 40-meter (131-feet) slope and on a 60-meter section of a frozen river, riding a family-friendly "ice bobsleigh" made by the Hwacheon County office down a spiral-shaped tube, curling and figure skating.

The Seohwasan Multipurpose Indoor Plaza, another key venue of the festival, featured a miniature version of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a world-renowned ice and snow festival, while about 30 ice lantern makers from Harbin, China, showcased the pinnacle of ice art at the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza.

The dazzling snow sculptures around the Eolgomi Castle are reminiscent of the large-scale sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan. The castle also features the Santa Post Office, a direct replica of the Santa Post Office in Santa Claus Village, Finland.

The night festival held every weekend on Seondeung Street, which features a large display of handcrafted sancheoneo lanterns and LED lights, were inspired by the Winter Carnival held in Quebec, Canada.

Yonhap