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| ▲ This photo, provided by Hwacheon County, shows Governor Choi carrying out an inspection of the Festival venue. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap). |
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) – Hwacheon County has decided to close the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, which had its kick-off on Jan. 7, for a day due to the flooding winter rains that hit the County on Friday.
With the heavy rain that began early in the morning freezing due to the subfreezing temperature, the passageways and stairs at the Festival site have been covered by ice sheets, raising concerns about the safety of visitors.
As the rain continued, the county officials, including Governor Choi, immediately carried out an inspection of the overall site and prepared countermeasures to remove the rainwater as much as possible by installing sandbags and operating water pumps.
Plastic sheet was also instantaneously covered to protect the 100-meter-high ice sculpture that was exhibited at the center of the Festival. Further countermeasures to divert water runoff away from the Festival venue will be carried out by all administrative staff of the County.
While the rain did not disrupt the condition of the ice at the ice fishing site, the County is taking every follow-up measure due to the unexpected closure, including refunds. Nara, the foundation that organized the Festival, announced its decision to guarantee a total refund without any cancellation fees on its official website and also appealed to local accommodations to follow the same procedure.
The re-opening of the Festival is expected to be decided with further notice according to the weather conditions.
“The ice at the fishing site is maintaining a fair condition; however, there is a high risk of safety accidents such as falls,” said Hwacheon County Governor Choi Moon-soon. “We are devoting every administrative effort and time to have the Festival resume by removing water from the flooded areas.”
In the meantime, Hwacheon had a total of 17.5mm of rain poured on the county as of 8:20 a.m. Friday and is predicted to have another 20mm by afternoon, according to data released by the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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