Is the Sancheoneo Festival Really a Cruel 'Animal Abuse'?

Animal Rights Groups Oppose 'Sancheon-eo Festival'
Jane Goodall Calls It "Truly Horrific"
Hwacheon County Says "Edible Sancheon-eo Not Subject to Animal Abuse"
"Life as Entertainment" vs "Sensitive Reactions"

On the afternoon of the 3rd, one week before the opening of the 2020 Sancheoneo Festival, Sancheoneo trout were released into the Hwacheoncheon foreigner-only fishing site in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province. Hwacheon-gun opened the fishing site in advance on the 4th exclusively for foreign tourists who made prior reservations. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] # Scene One. The great migration of cultured sancheoneo (Korean trout) from farms across the country has begun. Since the end of last year, Gangwon Hwacheon County has been transferring sancheoneo from 19 farms nationwide to the Hwacheon Hanam-myeon Nonmi-ri breeding site. To maintain freshness, the transport volume per trip is limited to 1 ton within Hwacheon and 800 kg from outside Hwacheon.

# Scene Two. More than 90% of the sancheoneo involved in this mass migration gather in Hwacheon during this period. This is the largest scale of transport for a single fish species in winter in Korea. The contracted volume of sancheoneo used for the 2020 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival reaches a total of 200 tons.

# Scene Three. The sancheoneo mobilized for the 'Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival' meet humans through various methods such as △barehand catching, △putting them inside clothes, △biting in the mouth, and △passing through the body with a holchigi (hook) needle.

Jane Goodall, the world's leading authority on animal behavior, environmental activism, and chimpanzee behavior research from the UK, felt deep despair upon seeing Korea's 'Sancheoneo Festival.'

She said, "In this day and age, it is shocking and chilling that some people still consider exploiting and torturing animals for human pleasure as normal," and expressed sadness about learning of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival. She added, "Catching and enjoying thousands of fish trapped under the ice is truly a horrific act."

On the morning of the 9th, members of an animal rights group held signs in front of the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, urging the cessation of animal abuse at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival. They claimed that catching fish with bare hands constitutes animal abuse. Photo by Yonhap News

◆ "Stop the 'Animal Abuse' at the Sancheoneo Festival!"

Is the 'Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival' really 'animal abuse'? On the 9th, the 'Sancheoneo Saving Movement Headquarters,' composed of 11 animal rights organizations including Action for Animals, filed a complaint against Hwacheon County Governor Choi Moon-soon and others organizing the local festival in Gangwon Hwacheon County on charges of 'animal abuse.'

This festival is a large-scale local event held annually for about three weeks in winter, hosted by Hwacheon County. Activities include sancheoneo ice fishing by drilling holes in the ice on the Hwacheon Stream and barehand catching of sancheoneo.

The groups argue that the festival, which uses live sancheoneo as experiential tools, violates Article 8 of the Animal Protection Act, which prohibits 'animal abuse and similar acts.'

According to the law, acts such as "killing animals in public places or causing death in front of other animals of the same species" and "inflicting injury on animals for entertainment or amusement purposes" are prohibited.

The groups stated, "Numerous scientific studies have already proven that fish perceive pain," and added, "It is a global trend to establish legal standards to minimize suffering even for food purposes, not just for entertainment."

They also criticized, "The Sancheoneo Festival is a bizarre event where hundreds of thousands of lives die within just a few weeks solely for entertainment and amusement," and "Activities like barehand catching are uneducational programs where children learn to treat life carelessly."

Furthermore, they claimed, "Sancheoneo is a species that inhabits rivers in the Yeongdong region of Gangwon Province where water temperature does not exceed 20 degrees Celsius, and it does not naturally live in Hwacheon County located in the Yeongseo region. About 180 tons of sancheoneo are supplied from the Yeongdong region through excessive transportation methods solely for the purpose of entertainment and amusement at the festival. After being starved for 5 to 7 days, causing extreme hunger, they are placed in a densely packed environment under the ice."

They continued, "(The sancheoneo placed there) bite the bait dropped by thousands of ice fishing participants daily and die after being caught, get pierced by holchigi hooks and die, or starve and weaken under extreme pain and stress, leading to mass death. This is an anti-ecological, inhumane, and uneducational scene of animal abuse."

They also expressed concern that "During the winter vacation period, many families participate, and children and adolescents unconsciously learn violence and abuse against the weak."

On the afternoon of the 3rd, one week before the opening of the 2020 Sancheoneo Festival, Sancheoneo trout were released into the foreigner-only fishing site at Hwacheoncheon Stream in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province. Hwacheon-gun opened the fishing site in advance on the 4th exclusively for foreign tourists who made prior reservations. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Animal Abuse Laws Do Not Apply to Farmed Fish for Food"

On the other hand, Hwacheon County maintains that it is not animal abuse and there is no problem. Hwacheon County stated, "Since the sancheoneo used in the event are farmed for food, the festival is not subject to animal abuse laws."

Hwacheon County attracts over one million tourists annually through the Sancheoneo Festival. The economic ripple effect is estimated to exceed 130 billion KRW, so canceling the festival could seriously damage the local economy.

Despite criticism from animal rights groups, the festival has been breaking records almost every year. After the first event in 2003 with 220,000 visitors, last year it attracted 1.84 million spectators.

Sancheoneo, a native freshwater fish of Korea, is smaller than trout but offers a satisfying fishing experience. It has a mild taste when grilled or served as sashimi.

About 20,000 ice holes are drilled at the ice fishing site. Sancheoneo, about 15 cm in size, are caught by festival participants through these ice holes, entering their mouths.

These scenes have been selected as some of the 'most impressive photos' by foreign media such as the UK's BBC.

2019 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival Photo by Yonhap News

The volume of sancheoneo deployed has also increased, with this year’s supply expected to reach a record high of 190 to 200 tons, up 20 tons from last year’s 180 tons.

Controversy surrounding the festival, which remains very popular despite opposition from animal rights groups, continues.

A mid-30s office worker, Mr. A, who considers the Sancheoneo Festival as animal abuse, said, "There should be a distinction between catching fish to eat and treating life merely as entertainment. In this regard, this festival is literally a 'massacre.'"

On the other hand, some defend the festival. A man in his 40s, Mr. B, said, "At the festival site, sancheoneo are eaten grilled and so on. It is for food, so the Animal Protection Act does not apply," and added, "I think people are being too sensitive."

Meanwhile, animal rights groups urge the Sancheoneo Festival to become a festival everyone can enjoy.

The groups said, "We do not oppose the local festival itself. From our survey, we experienced much more positive reactions at non-violent events such as sledding and ice sports," and "We urge the Sancheoneo Festival to be reborn as a sincere festival that honors the existence of sancheoneo."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.