Ice fishing festival to get under way in Inje, 2,300 holes for catching smelt to be dug

SEOUL,South Korea,Jan. 2,2019 -- Organized by the Inje Cultural Foundation,a wintertime festival featuring ice fishing for "bingeo," or pond smelt,will return to the mountainous town of Inje,Gangwon Provincenext month.

This undated file photo shows visitors ice fishing for pond smelt during the Inje Icefish Festival in Inje,a mountainous town 165 kilometers east of Seoul.

Running from January 26 through February 3,the 20th Inje Icefish Festival will provide visitors withchances to enjoy fishing for the silver fish at two fishing grounds on a frozen lake that is 100 meters long and 70 meters wide.

Under the theme "The Paradise of Winter Recreation that You Enjoy with Mother Nature,"organizers hope that visitors will fish for bingeo at this year'sfestivalin the town located 165 kilometers east of Seoul.

Established as a festival of ice and pond smelt in 1998,the festival is often touted as the originator of winter festivals,which has had a great impact on other similar festivals nationwide.

The Inje municipal government will make available 2,300 holes on Bingeo Lake and set up tents so thatfamily members can enjoy fishing together.

To support families,the local government will set up the tents on a separate fishing ground,measuring 100 meters long and 50 meters wide,equipped with 200 fishing holes.

Access to the outdoor fishing grounds is free of charge,but visitors must pay to fish at the grounds where the tents are pitched.

Among the festival's programs is an educational event fit for novice bingeo anglers or those with no experience catching the fish.

The festival will also offer visitors an opportunity to experience a traditional way of catching the fish,known as "Yeodeul Teolgi," and kids are encouraged to have fun in an event where they scoop up the fish with a net.

Children can also have fun at a playground with slides made of snow and spinning sleds.

Middle-aged people in their 50s and 60s can visit a placefor rest and relaxation that brings them to the memories of their experiences in the 1970s and 1980s that were unique in the country. One of the memories is what they went through in military barracks when they led an army life as junior soldiers.

For elderly visitors,attractive locations include a road lined with Korean-style taverns,where the traditional alcoholic beverage "makgeolli," among other liquors,is served,and a marketplace where an assortment of Korean foods are offered.

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