South Korea Approves Discussions With North Korea On DMZ Peace Marathon

SEOUL, Aug 30 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- The unification ministry has approved the Paju city government's plan to contact North Korean officials to discuss the municipality's plan to host an international marathon event at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The government of the border city of Paju, just north of Seoul, has been pushing to host the "Paju-Kaesong DMZ International Peace Marathon."

The envisaged course starts at Imjingak Peace Park in the South and passes through the DMZ and the North's border city of Kaesong before returning to Imjingak.

Paju Mayor Kim Kyoung-il submitted a request for approval for discussions with relevant North Korean authorities to the ministry on Aug 7 and received approval Wednesday, according to local officials on Saturday.

Under South Korean law, all nationals are restricted from contacting North Korea unless approval is received from the ministry. Paju officials are seeking to meet with North Korean officials early next year to discuss the marathon plan.

It remains unclear whether the North Korean side will respond to a proposal for discussions.

"We will successfully host the Paju-Kaesong DMZ International Peace Marathon to create a symbolic stage that connects the Korean Peninsula and the world through peace," a city official said.

If realised, the Paju government said it expects the event to garner around 20,000 participants from more than 10 countries.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP