Hwacheon mayor welcomes visitors with diverse nighttime events

HWACHEON, South Korea, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- As South Korea's famous ice-fishing festival kicked off its 23-day run in the northern town of Hwacheon on Saturday, the county's mayor Choi Moon-soon said he prepared diverse nighttime events for visitors to comfortably stay and enjoy. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is set to run through Jan. 31 in the Gangwon provincial town 118 kilometers northeast of Seoul, offering some 70 various programs and activities, including bare hand fishing and sleigh riding. The fishing of "sancheoneo," a special kind of trout known to live only in high-quality fresh waters, is one of the top activities during the festival. The organizing committee said it is planning to release some 150 tons of the local fish, roughly 600,000, for the event. "With an aim of 200,000 visitors who would enjoy the winter festival programs in the daytime and stay overnight, (I) will make sure the festival is a practical help to boost the local economy," Choi told Yonhap News Agency. Named South Korea's representative festival for three consecutive years now, the festival has put a lot of emphasis on nighttime events this year so that visitors can stay overnight to enjoy not only the festival but also the city, Choi said. Night fishing, for example, will be allowed until 9 p.m., according to the mayor. The city has also prepared a lot of prizes, including a sports utility vehicle and cinema tickets, to be won by those who participate in a lottery during the festival. "The most important thing is to vitalize the regional economy," he said, introducing various performances and foods to enjoy in the car-free streets of the city center. "The whole city community prepared the festival together to welcome the visitors." Asked about record-high temperatures this winter, he said thanks to geological factors, the city could launch the festival as planned. Currently, the thickness of the ice in the lake of Hwacheon is about 24 centimeters, he said. "Still, to relieve the anxiety of visitors, we have strengthened safety measures," Choi said.