1,100 foreigners expected in N. Korea's marathon
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DPRK 360's Facebook site said Tuesday North Korea is holding an international marathon event this Sunday. / Courtesy of Facebook
By Ko Dong-hwan
Some 1,100 foreigners will participate in an international marathon that will be hosted by North Korea this weekend despite rigorous sanctions led by the U.N. on the hostile nation.
Singaporean photographer Aram Pan, who specializes in North Korea tour photography, said on his Facebook account named “DPRK 360,” Tuesday, that runners from 49 countries will participate in the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon that will take place in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency.
Seven hundred North Koreans will also take part in the marathon, he added, without specifying the source of the information.
If the news were true, the number of foreign participants is nearly double that of last year's competition, which drew 650 foreigners from some 30 nations.
North Korea, despite the international community’s efforts to impose harsher sanctions on it, has eagerly sought to promote the upcoming international marathon through foreign tour agencies.
The marathon was first run in 1981 to commemorate the 69th anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s birthday, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. The state opened the contest to foreigners in 2014.