Pyongyang hosted hundreds of foreign runners this weekend as the city held its first international marathon since the Covid pandemic prompted North Korea to seal its borders six years ago.

North Korea has staged the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to pound the streets of the reclusive country's capital. The marathon, which was launched in 1981, took place annually in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.