Author's note: There's bound to be updates to this month's events - keep checking back for more information and new events! If you have an event you'd like to plug, comment on this post with all the details. Please follow a few guidelines for the maximum benefit.

Special author's note / PSA: Some festivals are being canceled due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Keep checking out the official webpages of the events in question, and e-mail me (chrisinsouthkorea AT gmail DOT com) or comment with anything you find out.

January 1 - 31: The Boseong Tea Fields Festival of Lights. While 'all the tea in Korea' hasn't quite caught on as a popular saying, the lights have won over Discovering Korea and Brian in Jeollanam-do. The Boseong website is in English, but it's not specific to the festival.

January 1 - 31 (through Feb 6) POSTPONED DUE TO FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE: The Pyeongchang Trout Festival looks like lots of fun. As with many winter festivals, there will be a chance to fish, eat, and otherwise enjoy the ice and snow so common to the Gangwon-do area. The official website is in Korean only, so be warned.

January 1 - 31: If not interested in venturing outside of Seoul, there's still plenty of wintry stuff going on. Check out this page from Visit Korea to learn about the snow sledding and ice skating available around Seoul.

January 8 - 30: Go catch some fish in ice-cold water, or just bob a plastic fishing pole in the ice until something bites. The Hwacheon Ice Festival will also have plenty of other winter-related activities, plenty of lights, and enough fun to fill a weekend. Watch out for a future post or read the Groove this month. If outside of Korea, Visit Korea has a helpful webpage.

January 21 - 30: Just in case you haven't gotten enough winter festivals, the Taebaek Snow Festival would be happy to help. Go for the national climbing contest, a snowman-making contest, or just because it's Taebaeksan - one of the most beautiful mountains in Korea.

© Chris Backe - 2011

This post was originally published on my blog,Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

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