The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is a unique wintertime celebration that draws over 1,000,000 visitors every year.
The process is simple enough, writesChris Backe, who recently experienced the festivity.
Shouts of joy ring out at random across the crowded ice: “I caught it!”
Each day of the festival, 32 tons of mountain trout are released beneath the ice for the grab.
Still, catching one takes a bit of luck and nimble skill in numbing conditions.
The freshwater mountain trout, a member of the salmon family, is endemic to Gangwon-do Province.
It lives only in clean fresh water with a temperature below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
The trout is called the Queen of the Valley for the beautiful parr marks on its sides.
The cultural festival is organized to celebrate the abundance of mountain trout in its waters.
Photos by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Sources:1,2,3
