North Korea cancels Pyongyang Marathon due to coronavirus

North Korea 11:36 March 06, 2021

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has canceled the annual Pyongyang Marathon due to the coronavirus pandemic, a tour agency has said.

The event, officially known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was scheduled to be held in the North's capital from April 5-11.

"The 2021 Pyongyang Marathon has been officially canceled," Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based operator specializing in North Korea tours, said on Twitter on Thursday.

"But next year's race should be happening on April 10, 2022 (depending on the global COVID situation of course)," it added.

This photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency on April 7, 2019, shows participants setting off at the start of an annual international marathon in Pyongyang held to mark the April 15 birth anniversary of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The company is an official partner of the international event.

The marathon was also called off last year as the country shut its borders to prevent the coronavirus.

In January, Koryo Tours said this year's marathon would include a virtual option, which would allow participants to run at their place of residence during the event period. The plan was scrapped one week later.
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Keywords

#Pyongyang Marathon #Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon #Koryo Tours