North Korea holding first Pyongyang Marathon in six years
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North Korea sealed its borders in 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic but has been slowly lifting restrictions since 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korea on April 6 is holding its first Pyongyang International Marathon in six years, hosting foreign runners in the reclusive country that had largely closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Athletes from China, Romania and other countries have arrived in North Korea to participate in the event, state news agency KCNA and official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on April 6.
About 200 travellers entered Pyongyang on April 4 and 5, and runners from overseas practised at a local hotel for the Sunday race, said Mr Simon Cockerell, general manager at Beijing-based Koryo Tours, in his Instagram posts showing streets and a recreational area in Pyongyang.
Koryo Tours is the official partner of the marathon, assisting with the sign-up process for international visitors to the event.
The isolated state sealed its borders in 2020 at the start of the pandemic but has been slowly lifting restrictions since 2023. It allowed some Russian tourist groups into the country, but its capital remains closed to regular tourism.
The marathon is a return course run through central Pyongyang, passing its landmarks, heading out into the countryside just outside of the city centre and coming back to the stadium with a crowd of 50,000 locals, according to Koryo Tours.
The Pyongyang International Marathon is one of the events celebrating the April 15 birthday of founding leader Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un. REUTERS
