NadeHwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival화천산천어축제
A million people fishing through holes in a frozen river, an hour from the DMZ — CNN called it a winter wonder.
Every January, the small border county of Hwacheon in Gangwon Province — closer to the DMZ than to any big city — hosts one of the world's most surreal winter scenes: over a million visitors kneeling on a frozen river, dangling lines through thousands of holes drilled in the ice, fishing for sancheoneo, a mountain trout nicknamed the 'queen of the valley.'
The location is the whole point. Hwacheon sits in a deep valley in one of South Korea's coldest inhabited areas, where the Hwacheoncheon stream freezes solid enough to hold crowds — organizers manage water flow with a sluice system to keep the ice at an average of 30 cm thick or more, reaching 45 cm. The festival began in 2003 under the slogan 'unfrozen hearts, unmelting memories,' drawing 220,000 people its first year; it has since grown past a million annual visitors, and CNN once listed it among the 'Seven Wonders of Winter.' Worth knowing honestly: the trout are farm-raised and released into the river for the festival, a practice that has drawn animal-welfare debate in Korea.
Beyond rod fishing there's bare-hand fishing in icy pools (yes, really), night sledding, and a vast indoor ice-sculpture plaza. Whatever you catch, on-site restaurants will grill it or slice it into sashimi minutes later — the best-tasting cold you'll ever feel.
매년 1월, 강원도의 작은 접경 고을 화천 — 대도시보다 DMZ가 더 가까운 곳 — 에서 세계에서 가장 비현실적인 겨울 풍경이 펼쳐진다. 100만 명이 넘는 방문객이 꽁꽁 언 강 위에 무릎을 꿇고, 얼음에 뚫린 수천 개의 구멍으로 낚싯줄을 드리운 채 '계곡의 여왕' 산천어를 낚는 것이다.
이 축제는 장소가 전부다. 화천은 남한에서 가장 추운 지역 중 하나로, 깊은 골짜기의 화천천은 인파를 견딜 만큼 단단하게 언다. 주최 측은 여수로로 수량과 유속을 조절해 얼음을 평균 30cm 이상, 최대 45cm 두께로 유지한다. 축제는 2003년 '얼지 않은 인정, 녹지 않는 추억'이라는 슬로건으로 시작해 첫해 22만 명이 찾았고, 이후 연 100만 명을 넘는 규모로 성장했다. CNN은 이 축제를 '겨울의 7대 불가사의'로 꼽은 바 있다. 솔직하게 알아둘 점도 있다. 산천어는 양식장에서 길러 축제를 위해 강에 방류하는 것으로, 한국에서 동물복지 논쟁의 대상이 되기도 했다.
낚싯대 낚시 외에도 얼음물 맨손잡기(정말 한다), 밤 썰매, 대형 실내 얼음조각 광장이 있다. 무엇을 잡든 현장 식당에서 몇 분 만에 구이나 회로 만들어준다. 평생 맛본 것 중 가장 맛있는 추위일 것이다.
If you go가신다면
Getting there.가는 법. Intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal to Hwacheon Terminal (about 2 hours, several departures daily); the festival grounds are a 10–15 minute walk from the terminal. Alternatively, ITX-Cheongchun train from Yongsan to Chuncheon, then a local bus to Hwacheon (~40 min).
Tips.팁. Dress in serious layers — daytime often stays below freezing — and buy hand/foot warmer packs at any convenience store. Simple rods and bait are sold on site, and foreigner-only fishing zones with English signage are usually available; bare-hand fishing requires advance registration and lends you shorts and a T-shirt. Have your catch grilled or made into sashimi at the venue restaurants for a small fee. Go early on weekdays; weekend holes sell out fast.
Best time.가기 좋은 때. Mid-January, during the festival window (2026 edition: January 10 – February 1); weekday mornings are least crowded.
Places in this story이야기 속 장소
- Hwacheoncheon ice-fishing grounds (festival main venue, Hwacheon-eup)
- Indoor ice-sculpture plaza at the festival site
- Peace Dam (Pyeonghwa Dam) north of Hwacheon, for a DMZ-border side trip
Sources (5)출처 (5)
- The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival began in 2003 with the slogan 'unfrozen hearts, unmelting memories' and drew about 220,000 visitors in its first year. — 지역N문화 (Korean Cultural Heritage portal, ncms.nculture.org) / Hwacheon County festival history
- The festival now attracts over a million visitors per season and was named by CNN among the 'Seven Wonders of Winter.' — https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=96732
- Organizers regulate water flow with a sluice system to maintain river ice at an average thickness of 30 cm or more (up to 45 cm) throughout the festival. — Aju News report on the 2026 festival (ajunews.com, 2026-02-02)
- The 2026 festival ran for 23 days, from January 10 to February 1, on the Hwacheoncheon stream. — Official festival site (narafestival.com) / Korean press coverage of the 2026 festival
- The sancheoneo (masu/mountain trout) used in the festival are farm-raised and released into the river, a practice that has drawn animal-welfare debate in Korean media. — 주간경향 (Weekly Kyunghyang) coverage, weekly.khan.co.kr
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나들이는 이 이야기 속 장소들을 지도에 담았습니다. 진짜 가는 법, 현지 맥락, 그리고 당신의 언어로 돌아오는 답변까지.