INJE, Gangwon Province (Yonhap) ― The annual winter festival held in a small town nestled in the mountains is ready for a comeback of its 14th year with varied programs and a longer schedule for those who want to brave sub-zero temperatures to fish on a frozen lake and enjoy winter sports.

The Inje Icefish Festival, hosted by the local government, kicks off on Saturday and runs for nine days on the frozen Soyang Lake in Inje, located 165 kilometers east of Seoul.

The winter festival in Gangwon Province, located just south of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula, has drawn thousands of people across the nation and from abroad who enjoy ice fishing.

This year, visitors can enjoy the true fun of ice fishing through holes in the ice in addition to playing winter sports, including ice soccer, sledding, ice sledge speed racing and hoop rolling on the snow-covered frozen lake, organizers said.

Anglers and spectators can also take a walk around the nearby icy forest in the crisp winter air and stay in a Buddhist temple or family campgrounds in the western area of Mount Sorak, which is 1,708 meters high.

Family visitors will be able to experience Antarctic weather in the simulated environment, catch fish from a huge aquarium, and cook what they catch, they added.