North Korea has organized the International Pyongyang Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to beat the streets of the capital of the reclusive country.
The marathon, launched in 1981, took place each year in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.
Before the Sunday marathon, the race took place for the last time in 2019, in which 950 foreigners participated. North Korea was sealed the following year, when the Pandemic Covid-19 struck.
North Korea has been slow to reopen since then, allowing only Russian tourists in its capital since last year.
The runners had to enter the country as part of a group of organized tours, as was the case before the pandemic.
Koryo Tours, a travel agency based in Beijing listed as an “exclusive partner” on the event website, offers marathon visits from six days to 2,195 euros ($ 2406), including flights to and from Beijing.
“The Pyongyang marathon is an extremely unique experience because it offers the opportunity to interact with the inhabitants,” wrote the agency on its website.
The Marathon road yesterday took the participants through the landmarks through the city, notably the Kim Il Sung stadium, the Arc de Triumph built to commemorate the role of Kim Il Sung in the resolution of Japanese domination, and the street of the scientists of Mirae said it was a residential area for scientists and engineers.
Online photos show the stadium – where the runners start and finish their race – filled with spectators, many of them encouraging and waving flags of golden colored.
Pak Kum Dong, a North Korean runner, told the news agency in Reuters: “The eyes of our people on me helped me endure the difficulties whenever I feel tired.”
There is no information accessible to the public on the results of the race.
North Korea had only restrictions on the scale of COVVI-19 reduction in the middle of 2023.
In Feborary, it allowed certain Western tourists to participate in the distant city of Rason, but suspended these visits a few weeks later.
