Hwacheon Mayor Choi Moon-soon, center, poses with foreign envoys and family during the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 13. Courtesy of Hwacheon County Government
Foreign diplomats stationed in Korea visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, experiencing one of the country’s signature winter celebrations blending together ice fishing, regional cuisine and cultural exchanges.
According to Hwacheon County, a 32-member diplomatic delegation from 11 countries traveled from Seoul to the northeastern county on Jan. 13. The group included ambassadors from Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kenya and Iraq, as well as diplomats representing the United States, Bangladesh, Laos, Honduras, Argentina, Zambia and Congo.
The delegation began its visit with lunch at a local restaurant to sample a variety of dishes made with the mountain trout that gives the festival its name. They then toured a promotional hall for a scholarship program supporting descendants of Ethiopian veterans of the Korean War, and participants tasted coffee prepared in a traditional Ethiopian style by beneficiaries of the initiative.
The diplomats later headed to a designated zone for foreigners to try ice fishing, a centerpiece of the festival. Cheers and applause broke out as participants hauled fish through holes drilled in the frozen river, many capturing the moment on their phones and sharing it with colleagues and family members.
Afterward, the group moved to an outdoor grilling area to sample freshly prepared trout and other local foods before visiting the indoor sculpture plaza, where large-scale illuminated ice artworks are on display. Several diplomats paused to photograph the installations, noting the contrast between the frigid temperatures outside and the festive atmosphere inside.
Hwacheon County invites ambassadors and embassy officials to the festival each year to encourage participants to share the experience in their home countries and promote the event, which has been designated a global festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Hwacheon Mayor Choi Moon-soon said the visits help broaden the festival’s international profile. “Through these diplomatic exchange events, we are working to introduce the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival to more countries around the world,” he said.
