HWACHEON ICE FISHING FESTIVAL INVESTIGATION EXPOSES SYSTEMIC ABUSE
January 7, 2026 - LCA and Animal Liberation Wave (ALW, our sister organization in S. Korea) released an investigation into the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival, and staged a press conference in Seoul calling for its end. The investigation documented widespread animal cruelty, environmental contamination, and the normalization of violence against animals.
The festival is held every year between January and February. Approximately 1.8 million people attend the festival, including a growing number of international tourists. Promoted internationally as a “global winter festival” and described as a family-friendly event, the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival relies on the mass exploitation and killing of fish.
The LCA/ALW press conference was held in front of a sculpture installed to promote the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival. LCA/ALW called for urgent, fundamental changes to the festival and demanded action from Hwacheon County and the S. Korean government: “Hwacheon County must immediately suspend the bare-hand fishing program and begin transitioning the festival into a non-violent, non-animal, sustainable event.”
INVESTIGATION DETAILS
The extensive on-site investigation was conducted between January and March 2025, after last year’s festival, with a focus on what happens to the fish left behind. The investigation was released in January 2026 to bring attention to this year's Festival. The investigation documented:
- Before the festival
- Over 150 tons of farmed mountain trout—representing more than 90% of S. Korea’s farmed trout population—are bred exclusively for the festival and dumped into artificial ice fishing grounds in the Hwacheon River for just 23 days.
- The fish are not native to this River.
- Fish were starved for days prior to release to increase bite rates.
- During the festival
- Fish were repeatedly impaled by fishing hooks, dragged through ice holes, and left to suffocate on frozen ground.
- During bare-hand fishing, participants crushed the fish, grabbed them by the gills, and threw them onto ice while they were still alive.
- Injuries the fish suffered included: torn gills, bleeding mouths, eye damage, and internal trauma.
- Children touched, grabbed, and carried live and dying fish.
- No veterinary oversight or animal welfare monitoring was observed.
- After the festival
- The artificial ice fishing grounds were left unattended for extended periods as the ice melted.
- The fish were not fed while awaiting collection
- The river became filled with decomposing carcasses and discarded fishing gear.
- The fish that survived in the contaminated water were caught and delivered to local restaurants.
- The dead fish were processed into canned food products.
 1.8 Million visitors |
 Press conference |
 Press conference |
 Kids grabbing fish |
 Fish suffocating |
 Stepping on fish |
 Rotting fish |
 Rotting fish |
 Rotting fish and trash |
 Boat collecting fish |
 Men gathering fish |
 Delivery to restaurant |
LEGAL LOOPHOLES AND GOVERNMENT INACTION
Despite clear evidence of suffering, the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival continues due to a legal loophole. S. Korea’s Animal Protection Act includes fish as protected animals and prohibits killing animals in public spaces and inflicting injury for entertainment. However, the Act explicitly exempts fish used for food from its application, creating a legal gap that allows the documented practices to continue. Despite the festival’s entertainment-driven nature, Hwacheon County maintains that the practices are lawful because the fish are caught and consumed as food.
Moreover, in response to public criticism, the S. Korea Ministry of Environment developed “Guidelines for Festivals Involving Animals” in 2020, reportedly including restrictions on cruel practices such as bare-hand fishing. However, due to opposition from local governments, the guidelines have neither been publicly disclosed nor enforced, allowing systemic abuse to persist without effective government oversight.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Sign LCA/ALW's petition HERE urging the Mayor of Hwacheon to end the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival and replace it with a humane, animal-free alternative. This event contradicts growing global values of animal rights and causes immense suffering to sancheoneo, the trout used for the festival. Fish are sentient beings capable of feeling fear and pain, yet the festival subjects them to stress, injuries, and inhumane death.
