A banner bearing the message "Animal Slaughter Is Not Festival" is unfurled from Baemari Bridge overlooking the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 11. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

Participants at the opening day of this year's Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, one of the country's representative most popular winter festivals held in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, got a rude awakening, when animal rights activists unfurled large banners, bearing messages such as "Animal Slaughter Is Not Festival" and "Fish Want To Live Too," from a bridge overlooking the festival venue.

Standing in freezing weather at minus 11 degrees Celsius on Jan. 11, the activists condemned the festival for what they described as a cruel and inhumane spectacle.

The protest was organized by Animal Liberation Wave (ALW), a Korean animal rights organization that works to end animal exploitation and promote veganism, and joined by Animals March, a local civic group.

The protesters timed their action with the start of the festival's signature barehand fishing event happening nearby, in which participants jump into the icy water to try catching fish with their bare hands, while others cheer them on.

"This festival ignores basic science," ALW said in a press release. "Fish removed from water die painfully, suffocating and gasping for breath. Through this 'festival,' people are becoming completely numb to the animals' pain."

The activists demanded the festival end its slaughter of freshwater fish and transition into a celebration that respects life, highlighting the immense suffering inflicted on the animals.

They further condemned the Hwacheon County government for its disregard for life and nature, calling the event a glorification of animal suffering under the guise of entertainment. "Prior to the festival's opening, we at ALW sent official letters to the organizing entity called Nara Foundation and the Hwacheon local government, but received no response," the group said. "We cannot [help] but feel rage at the Hwacheon local government's belittling of life and utter lack of respect or responsibility to life and nature."

Protesters hold a press conference at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 11. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is one of Korea's most popular winter events, attracting over 1 million visitors annually, including an estimated 50,000 international attendees. CNN selected it as one of the "Seven Wonders of Winter" in 2011, and it is widely touted as one of the "Four Great Winter Festivals of the World."

The festival runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. 2 this year and features fishing, ice sculpting, a Winter Culture Village and various family-friendly activities. However, critics argue that the mass breeding and killing of fish for the festival is cruel and unethical.

One of the activists shared his "deep condolences" for the freshwater animals killed during the festival "for a moment of human pleasure."

"A site of the massacre is not, and can never be a festival," he wrote. "Deep condolences to all victims of this 'festival.'"

According to the activists, 600,000 to 1 million fish are transported to the festival from 18 locations, where they are starved for at least five days beforehand to make them more desperate for food and easier to catch.

People try to catch freshwater fish in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 1, on the first day of Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

A public relations officer at the Hwacheon County Office told The Korea Times that the exact number of fish brought to the festival this year was difficult to determine due to yearly fluctuations. He said that the reason for not feeding the fish prior to their transport is to reduce the production of ammonia in fish waste, which poses a risk to their life when they are transported in live fish vehicles and temporarily housed in aquaculture facilities before the festival.

He added that the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to investigate an animal abuse complaint by an animal rights protection organization, based on the reasoning that the fish could not be protected under the Animal Protection Act since they were cultivated for consumption purposes from the beginning.

"For many years, some groups have held intermittent small gatherings at the festival venue," the official said. "However, it is understood that the assemblies are held two to three times out of about 23 days during the festival."

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.

Korea Times intern Kim Min-ji contributed to this article.