Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, plans to launch a new annual international marathon in October this year in addition to an existing one held in April, a tour agency said, as the North is struggling to earn more foreign currency in the face of mounting international sanctions.

Uri Tours, which operates from the United States and China with a specialty in North Korean travel, said on its website, seen on Wednesday, that foreign runners are invited to sign up for the new Pyongyang marathon slated for Oct. 22.

"We are pleased to announce that by popular demand, the Pyongyang Marathon will now be held twice a year. The inaugural October Pyongyang Marathon will run on Oct. 22 this year," an advertisement by Uri Tours said.

This adds to North Korea's existing annual marathon event held every April in Pyongyang.

The new event was also announced in the tour agency's Facebook account late last month. "This spectacle is sure to offer a more intimate local marathon experience running directly alongside far higher numbers of North Korean runners than in April," its Facebook feed said.

The website advertisement said any foreigners, Americans and other nationalities, can apply to run for the October marathon, adding that participants will be given an exclusive Pyongyang Marathon medal as well as a matching T-shirt.

Whether Americans would in fact join the marathon is unclear, however, as the US imposed a travel ban, forbidding Americans from visiting North Korea from September. The measure was taken after American college student Otto Warmbier died after being released in a coma in June from a 17-month detention in North Korea.

North Korea has denounced the US travel ban and has vowed to continue to leave the door open for Americans intending to visit the country.

The North Korean move also suggests the country's continued efforts to source foreign currency through the foreign tourism industry amid tightening international sanctions on it. (Yonhap)