Must be 183m or below... Canceled due to water level rise in the year before last and this year
"Bingeo Festival plays a major role in the local economy... Must be held next year"
Inje-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Choi Sang-gi), has been continuously requesting to lower the water level of Soyanggang Dam to hold the icefish festival early next year, it was reported on the 25th.
The Inje-gun Icefish Festival, which started in 1998, has established itself as Korea's original winter festival. Held in Bupyeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Inje-gun, it has delighted visitors with various programs such as winter play and icefish catching in the vast nature.
The festival, held without fail every winter and giving memories to local residents and visitors, was canceled in 2022 and this year due to difficulties in setting up the event site caused by the rising water level of Soyanggang Dam.
The scene of the 'Bing-eo Festival' held last year in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do. Photo by Inje-gun Office
According to Inje-gun, the water level of Soyanggang Dam must be maintained below 183m for the icefish festival to be held and for infrastructure to be established. However, this month, the water volume of Soyangho reached 190m, close to the full water level (193.5m), marking the highest level in the past five years.
The reason for the high dam water level this year, as last year, is analyzed to be due to increased water inflow into the dam caused by heavy rainfall in autumn compared to previous years, and the adjustment of discharge volume for climate disaster response and stable supply of domestic and industrial water.
Accordingly, since October, Inje-gun and the Inje-gun Cultural Foundation have been in close discussions, requesting the expansion of Soyanggang Dam discharge and water level adjustment to related organizations such as Korea Water Resources Corporation Soyanggang Dam Branch, Han River Basin Headquarters, and Ministry of Environment Han River Flood Control Office, and establishing a cooperative system.
Regarding this, related organizations expressed sympathy for the necessity of holding the festival but stated that there are limits to expanding the discharge volume of Soyanggang Dam at this point to prepare for flood control, drought, and abnormal climate, and to maintain a stable water supply system.
In this situation, Inje-gun insists that holding the icefish festival is essential for revitalizing the local economy and attracting tourists, and plans to continue negotiations by making efforts in various ways to hold the festival.
An official related to the icefish festival said, “The icefish festival is an important event that greatly helps revitalize the Inje area, which was submerged and disappeared due to the construction of Soyanggang Dam, and we will do our best to ensure that the festival can be held this year.”
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