Koryo Tours, a British travel agency based in Beijing, is currently offering a packaged program that includes participation in the annual Pyongyang International Marathon, along with a guided tour of the isolated country's capital.
Those who want to compete in the annual spring race for amateur runners scheduled for April 6 should sign up by the end of next week. But the agency said that South Korean, American, and Malaysian citizens may not be eligible for the program, citing "a few exceptions based on nationality, profession, or home country regulations."
First held in 1981 to commemorate the birthday of the regime's founder Kim Il-sung, the marathon had been suspended due to the pandemic.
The weeklong program offers travelers to look around Pyongyang's major points of interest including its glitzy Ryomyong Street which was leader Kim Jong-un's pet project as part of his modernization drive, along with newly-built high-risers and statues.
It costs about 2,195 euros (US$2,360) per person, with additional fees required for visa issuance and marathon participation.
Similar tour programs by other China-based travel agencies are also springing up, amid signs that the country, under international sanctions, is desperately seeking new sources of hard currency through tourism projects.
In September 2023 with the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions, North Korea reopened to foreign tourists, allowing entry only for limited group tours from Russia.
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