Hwacheon County

Template:Infobox Korean settlement Hwacheon County (Hwacheon-gun) is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The northern border parallels the Korean Demilitarized Zone, as close as 9km in some places. Neighboring counties are Cheorwon to the northwest and north, Yanggu to the east, Chuncheon to the south, and the Gyeonggi-do province to the southwest. The county consists largely of mountains and rivers, between which are small farming communities, military bases and military training grounds. The area is renowned for its rivers, the lake trout and otters indigenous to the county, and dramatic natural scenery.

Demographics

As of 2005, the population of Hwacheon stood at 23,822. 12,471 of these people were male, while there were 11,351 females. Only 90 of these people (0.38%) were foreign residents - 20 male and 70 female. The average household was home to 2.4 people, and 3,577 of the population (15%) was aged 65 or older. These numbers do not reflect soldiers stationed in the area, which are estimated at approximately 35,000 personnel.

Culture

As Gangwon Province is South Korea's coldest region, Hwacheon is home to an ice fishing festival in which thousands of competitors try to catch as many wild trout (Hangeul: 산천어) as possible. This takes place in the Hwacheoncheon (stream), the 2008 festival lasting from January 5 to January 26.

Food

Hwacheon is famous for its samgyeopsal, a pork dish offered at nearly every restaurant in town. Pork is cooked on a grill over hot coals, cut into bite-sized pieces, and wrapped in a lettuce leaf along with garlic, hot peppers, rice, and various other vegetables and sauces, then eaten by hand. Variants of the meal include using marinated beef instead of bacon.

Sister Cities

• Seocho-gu, South Korea

External links

• Hwacheon County government home page