North Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon for 3rd straight year

A participant in the Pyongyang Marathon reaches the finish line at Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, April 7, 2019. North Korea has canceled the annual Pyongyang marathon due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the third consecutive year, a tour agency said Thursday. Courtesy of Koryo Tours

North Korea has canceled the annual Pyongyang marathon due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the third consecutive year, a tour agency said Thursday.

The event, also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was originally scheduled for April 10 in Pyongyang, but Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based tour agency specializing in North Korea tours, said on its website, "2022's Pyongyang Marathon has officially been cancelled."

The agency said the marathon for next year will be held on April 9, 2023, adding that it will depend on the North's border situations.

The marathon was also called off in 2020 and 2021 as North Korea shut its borders to stave off the coronavirus. (Yonhap)