Namdaecheon Stream begins in the Mt. Odaesan Buyeon-dong Valley, gaining size and strength as it nears Eoseongjeolli in Hyeonbuk-myeon before reaching the East Sea. Salmon that were spawned in Namdaecheon Stream swim to the East Sea to grow for three to five years in the Bering Sea before returning to Namdaecheon Stream between late October and November.The Salmon Festival in Yangyang began as a salmon-fishing contest in mid November 1996, and has been held as Yangyang-gun’s festival since 1997. Every year, it offers a variety of salmon-related events and attracts a large crowd of people eager to fish for salmon.Festival Program: Immediately following official events such as Yongwangje (a ritual praying for a good catch) Bonghaeng and the opening ceremony, fun-packed programs await visitors. These include catching a salmon/trout with the bare hands, and salmon-cooking exhibits. The bare-hand salmon-catching continues to draw more and more participants every year, and is particularly popular with families, as all members can enjoy fun moments together.For this event, the office of Yangyang-gun prepares a total of about 3,000 salmon, some supplied by the Yangyang Naesumyeon Research Center and others netted by professional fishers. The salmon are then released in part of the stream about 30 centimeters deep, which is blocked by a net on either end. The fish caught by participants can either be cooked on-site or cut and cleaned to take home.Festival Highlights: Most salmon are over 40 centimeters long and are great fun to catch. The food court also offers a variety of salmon dishes to tempt visitors' appetites. The Namdaecheon Stream runs near the famous Mt. Seoraksan, which is great for hiking and for viewing the changing colors of the foliage in late fall.