Gwangyang Seomjingang River Eel Village (광양 섬진강 은어 마을)

The Seomjingang River around Gwangyang and Hadong is the primary habitat of the sweetfish (euneon, ayu) in Korea — a river fish that migrates between the river and the sea and is caught in the traditional way by cast net from June through September. The seasonal sweetfish restaurants along the Seomjingang between Hadong and Gwangyang serve the fish in traditional preparation: grilled whole over charcoal, eaten with salt and the Seomjin river water on the side (a tradition). The river fishing culture here has survived because the Seomjingang is one of the few Korean rivers clean enough to support the sweetfish migration.

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