The DPRK canceled the marathon in Pyongyang (Pyongyang Marathon) – the nation’s largest tourism revenue event of the year – out of concern about the new strain of Corona virus (COVID-19).

The information canceling marathon in North Korea was confirmed by the travel company on 21.2. Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based company that organizes tours to North Korea and the official partner of the marathon, said it had received official confirmation that the 2020 Pyongyang Marathon was canceled.

This was due to the closure of the North Korean border and the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, Koryo Tours added. Young Pioneer Tours, a company similar to Koryo Tours, also made a similar statement. The annual marathon was held in April as part of the birthday celebration of the founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday in 1912 and attracted curious foreigners who want to run through the streets of the city.

According to organizers, nearly 1,000 Westerners took part in the competition last year and had to pay up to $ 150 to enter. Earlier, North Korea had put itself in isolation to protect itself from the outbreak of COVID-19 in neighboring China, which infected more than 75,000 people and left more than 2,200 dead. Pyongyang has suspended flights, banned tourists and imposed a 30-day quarantine period for permanent residents.

Some analysts say North Korea is subject to international sanctions on ballistic and nuclear missile programs, while medical infrastructure is weak, and there is a shortage of drugs and equipment. chronic. Therefore, given the complicated situation of COVID-19, the North Korean actions taken are understandable.

The country has taken similar measures before banning tourists for more than four months from October 2014 to prevent the spread of Ebola virus, although no cases in Asia have been infected. North Korea has also been “closed” for 6 months during the outbreak of the Acute Severe Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) between 2002 and 2003, killing nearly 650 people across China and Hong Kong.