Sportsmanship overcomes geopolitical tensions in NK

Foreigners welcomed at Pyongyang marathon

Sportsmanship overcame geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula Sunday as hundreds of foreign runners participated in Pyongyang’s annual marathon at Kim Il- sung Stadium on Sunday.

Nearly 2,000 people entered the event, more than half foreigners – Chinese, Kenyans and Ethiopians, Ukrainians, Moroccans as well as Europeans and other Westerners – as knots of spectators gathered along the route, cheering and exchanging high- fives with runners.

Local runner Pak Chol, 27, established a commanding lead in the men’s race several kilometers out and recorded his third victory in the event, in 2 hours 13 minutes and 56 seconds. His compatriot Jo Unok was the first woman across the line in 2: 29’ 23”, according to AFP’s reports.

“Local people along the street give high- fives to me which makes me feel very friendly,” Huang Jialang, a Chinese participator from the city of Guangzhou city, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

The event came amid rising geo- political tensions – as a US carrier strike group teamed toward the Korean Peninsula Sunday, while a senior White House official said President Donald Trump has asked to be provided with a range of options for eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat – as part of commemorations for the 105th anniversary of Kim Ilsung’s birth on April 15.

North Korea on Wednesday fired a medium- range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan ahead of a US- China summit. The UN Security Council condemned the North’s latest missile launch.

The US naval move has raised tensions in the region and comes hard on the heels of a missile strike that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

The isolated North is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but repeated rounds of sanctions have failed to stop its nuclear programs.

On Thursday and Friday, Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks, during which he pressed China to help curb the North’s nuclear weapons program.

Trump has threatened unilateral action against North Korea, a threat that appeared more palpable after Thursday’s strike on a Syrian airfield following an alleged chemical attack.

Despite enthusiasm from local people, the experience for foreigners in Pyongyang was not the same as those for marathons held in other cities, as foreigners are subject to restrictions.

For example, all foreigners in Pyongyang are allocated to the Yanggakdo International Hotel and have to be accompanied at all times by tour guides provided by the North Korean government.

“Foreigners in Pyongyang are not allowed to go anywhere alone, except in the hotel,” one former Pyongyang marathon participator from the UK told the Global Times, adding that normally foreigners travel in groups of around 10 people, with two to three tour guides.