The 31st Pyongyang International Marathon was held on Sunday in the capital city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
It was the first time for the DPRK to host an edition of the event once again in six years since the previous session in 2019. DPRK runner Pak Kim Dong won the first place in the men's full marathon with a time of two hours 12 minutes 11 seconds, and Jon Su Gyong, also from the host country, won the women's full marathon with a time of two hours 25 minutes 50 seconds.
An award ceremony was held after the race.
The DPRK has kept its borders closed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The DPRK allowed Russian tour groups to enter the country last year, but Pyongyang has not yet been open to international tourist travel since.
DPRK holds first Pyongyang International Marathon in six years
China's 2026 box office (including pre-sales) has surpassed 12 billion yuan as of Friday evening, according to the latest data released by online platforms.
The country will also see nearly 20 films being released during the Qingming Festival holiday, which runs from April 4 to 6.
A film analyst said family and kinship became a focus of this year's film season, with three films, namely, "It's OK", "Now I Met Her", and "Sunshine Women's Choir" all telling moving stories about family relationship.
"It's OK", which focuses on the mother-daughter relationship, depicts how a mother and her daughter move from confrontation to mutual understanding by overcoming profound differences in their outlook on life.
"Now I Met Her" tells the story of a rebellious teenage son who embarks on a journey to know his late mom through the diaries she wrote when she was young.
"Sunshine Women's Choir", a production from China's Taiwan region, is a touching story about a group of women who heal each other and reconcile with their past through singing.
"Among domestic productions, three films focus on family and kinship. As a cluster, they are able to generate a collective effect, encouraging audiences to go to cinemas to support and pay attention to films of such themes and styles," said Zhang Jinfeng, chief editor of China Film News.
The suspense film "Game of Identity" follows two persons from vastly different backgrounds who embark on an adventurous "life swap" by accident.
The imported animated film "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" follows brothers Mario and Luigi on an adventure to explore an uncharted galaxy.
"Regarding film supply, we have more films released during this year's Qingming Festival holiday than last year, which can meet diverse appetites of different groups of audience," said Zhang.
China's 2026 box office surpasses 12 bln yuan
