The Sancheoneo, the star of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, is thriving despite this summer's record heat. For next year's festival, over 155 tons of Sancheoneo are expected to be supplied. The Hwacheon County plans to increase the local production share to connect the festival's success with residents' income.
According to Hwacheon County, Mayor Kim Se-hoon and officials from the inland water department inspected seven Sancheoneo farms in the Sain and Gandong areas on August 23. The inspection revealed that the fish are growing well, reaching lengths of 15 to 20 centimeters, and there have been minimal deaths due to disease despite the summer heat.
For next year's Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, over 155 tons of Sancheoneo are anticipated. The county expects that more than 70 tons will be produced at local farms from December to January. The county is also working on increasing the local self-sufficiency rate for festival Sancheoneo.
Mayor Kim has instructed the county to actively consider supporting local fish farms with beneficial microorganisms produced by the county. He also urged the inland water department to disseminate advanced aquaculture techniques to the farms.
Based on this year's supply results, the county is considering expanding contract volumes for some local farms for next year. Additionally, the production capacity of county-operated farms will be increased.
Mayor Kim visited the county-operated farms in Woncheon-ri and Nonmi-ri to check on the processes of egg collection, fry production, rearing, and shipping, directing efforts to expand self-production. Currently, the annual production capacity of the county-operated farms is about 20 tons.
The county plans to complete inspections of nationwide supply farms before the festival. The Sancheoneo supplied from December will be gradually released after acclimatizing to temperatures similar to those at the festival site.
Expanding Sancheoneo production aligns with the resident income-focused policies of the ninth elected term of Hwacheon County. Despite attracting numerous tourists to the Sancheoneo Festival, there have been ongoing concerns that many visitors only engage in day trips, with significant portions of spending on lodging and meals flowing to nearby cities, preventing the local economy from fully benefiting from the festival's scale.
This has led to the criticism that 'fun is experienced in Hwacheon, but money is spent elsewhere.' As the Sancheoneo Festival has grown into a world-class winter event, there is a growing call to not only increase visitor numbers but also to encourage tourists to stay longer and connect their spending to the local economy through restaurants, accommodations, and sales of local agricultural products.
The shift in focus from 'entertainment' to 'resident income' in the festival policies of Mayor Kim Se-hoon is not unrelated to this issue. The 2026 Hwacheon Tomato Festival demonstrated the potential for such change. It confirmed that attracting tourist spending on local agricultural products and utilizing local businesses can be a significant competitive advantage for festivals.
The Sancheoneo Festival faces similar challenges. One of the starting points is to increase local production of Sancheoneo. By producing more of the festival's key resource locally, the costs associated with the festival can translate into income for local fish farms, creating a cycle within the local economy. If policies that connect lodging, food, agricultural products, experiences, and tourist attractions are implemented, residents can more directly feel the economic benefits generated by the Sancheoneo Festival.
Ultimately, the challenge for the 2027 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is clear. It must transition from merely measuring 'how many tourists visited' to demonstrating 'how long tourists stayed in Hwacheon, how much they spent, and how much of that money returned to the residents.'
Mayor Kim Se-hoon stated, "The Sancheoneo for the 2027 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is growing healthily. We will do our best to produce the highest quality Sancheoneo so that tourists can enjoy both taste and experience."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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