South Koreans take part in ice fishing festival

STORY: South Koreans took part in an annual ice fishing festival

Location: Hwacheon, South Korea

About 129,000 people braved below freezing temperatures

for a chance to catch trouts on a frozen lake

(Do Jin-seon, Participant)

“I am so happy that I caught five. The festival resumed after several years. It is freezing cold but it is not a problem at all for me.”

(Choi Mon-soon, Governor of Hwacheon county)

“The thickness of this ice is 36 centimeters. We got no problem with it. We have a police office, a fire station, a medical team here just in case of possible incidents. We also mobilize a disaster response team that can dive in the water and check on the safety of the ice.”