Korea Attracts Millions of Tourists With ... Ice Fishing

Jan. 24, 2008 -- The city of Hwacheon is tucked into the Taebaek Mountains, in the center of the Korean peninsula bordering North Korea. Hwacheon is home to some 36,000 soldiers and 24,000 residents, who, for years, made a living mostly by catering to the military. For years, the small town was known only to historians for the fierce battles fought there during the Korean War. But recently, it has become a hot winter spot that attracts more than 1 million tourists each year.

The centerpiece of the transformation is the annual Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, held in January, and named after mountain trout that live in the surrounding mountain lakes and creeks. The festival offers a variety of cultural as well as outdoor activities.

But it is ice fishing that attracts the most visitors — although many also take advantage of ice or snow sledding, bobsledding, ice bumper car, ice soccer, ice biking, snow sculpture exhibitions, and more.

Jeong Gap-Cheol, the county chief in this part of the Gangwon Province, said they had no choice but to develop tourism sites in response to the détente between the two Koreas that resulted in downsizing of the military.

The residents are mostly farmers, and many also run second businesses, catering to the soldiers, including restaurants, bars, shops, motels, and even brothels. "We had to move away from a military-dependent economy. And all we have are mountains and clear water. So, we thought a festival, utilizing those resources, might work," Gap-Cheol proudly boasted.

The idea was to make the farmland into an entertainment park, but at a minimum cost. So, the county tried freezing a narrow part of the river — 1.24 miles long — by blocking water flow that would result in ice, 12 to 16 inches thick. They punched holes in the ice and started inviting outsiders.

Now in it's sixth year, the festival is a huge success. During a crowded weekend day, more than 10,000 visitors brave the cold, sit on ice, drop the bait, and try their luck together. Probabilities are high enough to keep everyone happy, as the organizers pour in thousands of mountain trout, bred elsewhere, into the blocked area, twice a day. Organizers suggest that fishing is best during the early morning and late afternoon.

There are certain rules to fishing here, though. If more than three are caught, either let the fish go or share with others. Bulletin boards with fishing instructions for beginners also note, "Do not be depressed. Do not cheat. Keep your rhythm. Be persistent." Beaming with excitement at a catch, a woman jumped up and down, calling on her 8-year-old son to get a plastic bag to store the fish. "I saw pictures of this on the Internet, and really wanted to try. I grew up in the city and never went fishing before," she said.

The bolder ones participate in "bare hand fishing." Three times a day, a competition is held in a small pond full of trout, where contestants jump into the frigid water, wearing shorts and short-sleeve shirts. They search inside the knee-high water, at times springing out to escape the colder temperature. "My hands are so numb, I can't feel anything!" exclaimed one man, shivering in the pond, while his wife and children shouted, "You can do it! Catch one for us!"

Tourists can eat the catch either raw or grilled. Stalls alongside the river offer sashimi-cutting services and rent out barbeque grills at a reasonable fee. One of the most popular gourmet items is live smelt with Gochujang (hot red pepper sauce). Grabbing it by the tail, the small 6-inch fish is dipped in sauce and eaten alive. "It's chewy and fresh," said a group of men, arguing over safe ways to make the smelt 'faint' before putting it in the mouth. "Don't worry. If you drink it with soju (Korean vodka), it will cleanse your tummy."