Turtle Marathon canceled due to swine flu
The 485th Turtle Marathon, originally scheduled for this Saturday, has been canceled due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF) to several rural areas, which is negatively affecting the local economies there.
The cancellation comes as all festivals hosted by local governments have been postponed or canceled following the outbreak of the disease.
The walkathon was to start at the historical mountain fortress city of Namhansanseong, 25 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and it was planned that participants would walk around the UNESCO World Heritage site's north and west gates and see other landmarks in the iconic city.
The first ASF was reported Sept. 17 in Paju, a city located in northern Gyeonggi Province bordering North Korea, followed by a second case the next day in neighboring Yeoncheon County. More ASF cases have been reported throughout Gyeonggi Province and also on Incheon's Ganghwa Island, bringing the total to five within a week.
As a sister paper of Hankook Ilbo, the host of the walkathon, we, The Korea Times, are sorry for causing unintended inconvenience to those who were interested in participating in the event.