North Korea wants to promote tourism but Ebola scare plays spoilsport

#PyongyangMarathon #NorthKorea #Ebola #biologicalweapon It is a real paradox for North Korea – while it wants to see more tourists, the scare of Ebola has forced it to ban foreign marathon runners from the annual Pyongyang marathon as reported in news.sky.com dated 23 February 2015. This ban has been imposed even though the secretive country does not have any previous recorded of any case of Ebola virus.
The race officially as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, runs through the streets of Pyongyang and had been thrown open for the first time to foreigners last year – the response was positive and it was a huge success.
Accordingly, hundreds of foreigners had signed up to run in this year's event on 12 April – their incentive was to avail of this rare chance to compete in the mysterious country. However, they are now a disappointed lot because tour operators have been told that the race is now only open to North Korean runners, due to fear of Ebola.
The marathon, in its 27th year, is part of a series of sporting competitions, arts festivals and cultural events to mark the birthday of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung, which falls on 15 April.
The Ebola virus has killed upwards of 9,000 people in West Africa - but there ae no reports of infection either in North Korea or in the surrounding region. Incidentally, the country's media has previously suggested that the disease was a human creation of the US military and that Ebola was a biological weapon.