Hwacheon Mayor Choi Moon-soon, heart, poses with overseas envoys and household in the course of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Competition in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 13. Courtesy of Hwacheon County Authorities
International diplomats stationed in Korea visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Competition, experiencing one of many nation’s signature winter celebrations mixing collectively ice fishing, regional delicacies and cultural exchanges.
In response to Hwacheon County, a 32-member diplomatic delegation from 11 international locations traveled from Seoul to the northeastern county on Jan. 13. The group included ambassadors from Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kenya and Iraq, in addition to diplomats representing america, Bangladesh, Laos, Honduras, Argentina, Zambia and Congo.
The delegation started its go to with lunch at an area restaurant to pattern a wide range of dishes made with the mountain trout that provides the pageant its identify. They then toured a promotional corridor for a scholarship program supporting descendants of Ethiopian veterans of the Korean Struggle, and members tasted espresso ready in a conventional Ethiopian type by beneficiaries of the initiative.
The diplomats later headed to a chosen zone for foreigners to strive ice fishing, a centerpiece of the pageant. Cheers and applause broke out as members hauled fish by means of holes drilled within the frozen river, many capturing the second on their telephones and sharing it with colleagues and relations.
Afterward, the group moved to an outside grilling space to pattern freshly ready trout and different native meals earlier than visiting the indoor sculpture plaza, the place large-scale illuminated ice artworks are on show. A number of diplomats paused to {photograph} the installations, noting the distinction between the frigid temperatures exterior and the festive environment inside.
Hwacheon County invitations ambassadors and embassy officers to the pageant every year to encourage members to share the expertise of their dwelling international locations and promote the occasion, which has been designated a world pageant by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism.
Hwacheon Mayor Choi Moon-soon stated the visits assist broaden the pageant’s worldwide profile. “By means of these diplomatic alternate occasions, we’re working to introduce the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Competition to extra international locations all over the world,” he stated.
