North Korea hosts international marathon after 6-year pause
North Korea hosted its annual international marathon on Sunday for the first time in six years. Nearly 200 international amateur runners entered the marathon and associated races under an exemption allowing them to enter a country that has been closed to most international tourism since the coronavirus pandemic.
It was the 31st edition of the International Pyongyang Marathon, which takes runners through the North Korean capital's streets and by key North Korean landmarks. Participants this year came from countries including China, Ethiopia, Morocco and Romania, state news media reported. In earlier editions of the race, only elite foreign runners from socialist and nonaligned states could enter the race; now, foreign amateurs are also invited, according to the race's official travel partner, Koryo Tours.
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