South Korea’s Gangwon Province usually attracts millions of visitors during the winter season each year with its various winter festivals under the theme of ice fishing and sledding.

This winter, however, is not the same, as the prolonged coronavirus pandemic has canceled most of the northeastern province’s famous winter festivals, including the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival.

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, established in 2003 and featuring trout ice fishing, had brought in millions of visitors in recent years.

The organizers had hoped the virus situation would ease so they could hold the event as planned. But with the festival officially canceled, they are seeking ways to sell 77 tons of trout and 18 tons of crops prepared for the event. 

The local government of Hwacheon County held a tasting event on Dec. 30. Trout was prepared in 20 different dishes, using half-dried or canned fish.

The tasting event showed the possibilities of cooking trout into not only Western dishes, such as cream soup and pizza, but also traditional Korean dishes, including trout in kimchi stew.

Working with domestic companies, Hwacheon County has set up a way to sell the half-dried and canned trout through online shopping.

Agricultural goods to be sold during the festival period are currently piled in a warehouse, as it is difficult to sell them in the offline market with the social distancing measures in place, but the county plans to sell the crops through online shopping as well.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)