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Steph Haggard passed along an ad from Koryo Tours indicating that the deadline on their Pyongyang Marathon package had been extended by a week. Admittedly, the promotional video is sort of Leni Riefenstahl meets kitsch, but hey, this is the Pyongyang Marathon, after all.
But, wait, aren’t the North Koreans still banning tourists and quarantining people for Ebola?
Well, yes, but maybe not for long. According to Koryo Tours, the tourism ban will be lifted in April, in time for the marathon. Yet at the same time, the Lee Sang Yong at the Daily NK is reporting that the authorities have intensified their efforts to enforce Ebola-related measures and James Pearson at Reuters reports that the government “has sent a note to foreign diplomats and organizations in Pyongyang warning them not to hold parties or meetings in violation of its strict quarantine against the deadly Ebola virus.” The narratives are not necessarily inconsistent: the authorities could tighten up enforcement of the existing rules even as planning to rescind the tourism ban.
But here’s the kicker: North Korea has cancelled its iconic Mass Games. (The press report by Hamish Macdonald is confirmed on the Koryo Tours website.) So, why permit the Marathon but cancel the Mass Games? Perhaps a poli sci grad student can explain.
Now if instead of visiting North Korea, you are interested in heading South, loyal reader and indefatigable commenter Roland Biniossek has a modest proposal. Responding to a post I wrote last month, Roland, after graciously congratulating me on the piece, made the following suggestion: “Pretty soon you will receive a South Korean-US American women, who will be deported from Seoul to the US. So Marcus, when you are in South Korea later this year and wanna a ticket to return for free. No problem: Breathe in public some positive words about North Korea.” I suggest he trademark this budget package method before Young Pioneer tours or one of these other outfits implements this approach. It would not be for everyone, though: it took Shin Eun-mi more than three weeks to be deported. The Roland Approach is definitely for folks with time on their hands. That's not me.
Roland’s comments give many of our readers indigestion. But note: even Roland is not advocating this approach for NORTH Korea: it took 2 years and a high level envoy to spring Kenneth Bae.
