Gangwon Province Conducts On-Site Inspection Ahead of Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival Opening on the 10th: "Full Focus on Safety"

Gangwon Province Conducts On-Site Inspection at Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival
Intensive Safety Checks at Six Winter Festival Venues Across the Province
Governor Kim Jintae Calls for Thorough Preparation

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jintae) announced plans to conduct a "Winter Festival Safety Intensive Inspection" at six winter festival sites across the province, including the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, which is a leading hands-on winter festival in Korea. The province is committed to making every effort to ensure disaster and safety management at festival venues.

Kim Jintae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site on the 6th ahead of its opening to inspect safety measures and on-site management status. Provided by Gangwon Province

On January 6, Governor Kim Jintae, together with National Assemblyman Han Kiho (representing Chuncheon, Cheorwon, Hwacheon, and Yanggu), Hwacheon County officials, and representatives from the police and fire departments, visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site ahead of its opening on January 10 to inspect safety measures and on-site management status.

Governor Kim sequentially checked the thickness and quality of the ice, the results of water quality inspections, the operation system of the on-site situation room, and the status of the fire safety headquarters. Given that the festival is a large-scale winter event expected to attract up to 65,000 visitors per day, he placed particular emphasis on inspecting public safety measures, the deployment of safety management personnel, and the overall emergency response system to prepare for large crowds.

Governor Kim told those involved, "Based on last year's number of festival visitors, Hwacheon now becomes a city of 1.8 million," and stressed, "We must be thoroughly prepared not only for ice safety but also for emergency rescue and medical response readiness."

He continued, "I am well aware that for the past 23 years, Hwacheon County staff have been working twice as hard during this season, without weekends or holidays," and encouraged them by saying, "I hope you will keep up your efforts until the end for a successful festival."

Meanwhile, the province plans to take all possible precautions to prevent safety accidents by conducting "preliminary safety management checks and joint on-site inspections with relevant agencies" at all winter festivals held in cities and counties, considering the unique risks associated with cold and icy conditions during winter festivals.

In addition, the province will require all festival venues to have cold wave shelters and will focus on thoroughly reviewing overall operation plans to proactively prevent health issues such as hypothermia caused by severe cold.

Kim Jintae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site ahead of its opening on the 6th to inspect safety measures and on-site management status. Provided by Hwacheon County

Furthermore, the Provincial Institute of Health and Environment conducted preliminary water quality inspections for the Pyeongchang Trout Festival, Hongcheon Ice Festival, and Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival to ensure that tourists can enjoy the festivals safely. The inspections found no waterborne infectious agents such as pathogenic E. coli, and the river water quality was assessed as being at an excellent level according to environmental standards.