Hwacheon Sancheoneo: The Winter Trout You Catch Through the Ice and Grill on the Spot

In midwinter the frozen Hwacheon Stream in Gangwon Province fills with people peering into holes in the ice. Here is what sancheoneo, a trout that never goes to sea, actually is, how a small mountain county's festival became a world-famous winter event, and how to enjoy the fish you catch.

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Sancheoneo, the Trout That Stayed Home

Sancheoneo is a freshwater fish of the salmon family. Its sea-going form, called songeo in Korean (masu salmon), is born in rivers, grows at sea and returns to spawn. The landlocked form that never goes to sea and grows up in the river is called sancheoneo. Because it skips the ocean, it keeps the markings of its youth. Adults reach about 40 cm, with a dark blue-green back and black spots on the sides. It lives in clear, cold mountain streams that stay below 20 degrees Celsius even in summer. It is found on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan, Sakhalin and Kamchatka, and in Japan it is known as yamame. As a fish of clean water it is something of a symbol of mountain villages, but it is hard to find in the wild today. Most of the fish you meet at the festival are farm-raised and released for the event.

A Festival That Began With Soccer on the Ice

Hwacheon is a mountain county in northern Gangwon, close to the truce line. According to the weekly Kyunghyang, in midwinter the ice here freezes thick enough to hold several armored vehicles. Village youths used to gather on the ice every winter to play soccer, and that is said to have been the seed of the festival. The first Sancheoneo Ice Festival was held in 2003 and drew 220,000 people in its first year. Attendance kept growing, and Hwacheon County says it has drawn more than a million visitors a year since around 2005. In 2011 CNN included it among its seven wonders of winter. It has had setbacks, though: it was canceled in 2011 because of foot-and-mouth disease and in 2021 and 2022 because of COVID-19, and in 2020 mild weather and winter rain pushed the opening back twice.

From Ice Fishing to Catching With Bare Hands

The festival is usually held in January along the frozen Hwacheon Stream. The signature activity is ice fishing. People settle in at holes drilled through thick ice, dangle short rods and wait for a bite. Rows upon rows of holes across the ice have become the defining image of a Hwacheon winter. Separate lure-fishing zones are set up as well. One of the most popular activities is the bare-hand catch, where participants wade into a pool of icy water and grab fish with their hands. Every year the news shows people plunging in wearing shorts and T-shirts. Fishing gear can be rented or bought on site, and some activities require advance booking, so check the official festival guide before you go. It is bitterly cold on the ice, so bring insulated boots and gloves.

How to Eat the Fish You Catch

The fun does not end with the catch. According to press reports, the festival grounds have grilling areas and a sashimi center where you can taste the fish you caught right away. The most popular way is salt-grilling: the cleaned fish is salted and grilled golden over charcoal, giving crisp skin and mild, clean flesh. Like other trout, it has just enough fat and little fishy smell. If you prefer it raw, have it prepared at the sashimi center. Restaurants and the local food market on site also sell dishes such as sancheoneo sashimi rice bowls, spicy fish stew, braised fish, fritters and udon with fish cake. Hwacheon County holds tasting sessions each year to refine the menu, and offers kid-friendly options such as sancheoneo cutlets and fritters. After freezing out on the ice, a steaming bowl of spicy fish stew is considered the festival's hidden treat.

Good to Know Before You Go

The festival usually opens in early to mid-January and runs for about three weeks, but the opening can be delayed or the schedule changed depending on the ice. It has been postponed in warm winters, so check Hwacheon County's official announcement before you set out. Weekends get very crowded; weekday mornings make it easier to find a fishing spot. Hwacheon has more to offer than fish. Each winter the town center near the festival grounds is decorated with lanterns, many shaped like sancheoneo, and ice sledding and snow sledding run alongside the fishing. Outside festival season, the clear valleys where the fish live and the area around Paroho Lake are worth exploring.

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