KYODO NEWS - Jul 24, 2017 - 16:22 | World, All

North Korea has decided not to hold a beer festival this summer for unknown reasons, according to a Beijing-based tourist company.

"Sadly today we have been informed that the 2017 Pyongyang Beer Festival has been cancelled," Koryo Tours, one of the leading agencies organizing regular tours to North Korea, said Sunday on its website.

(KCNA/Kyodo)

"The reason for the cancellation is unclear and we don't expect full information to be forthcoming but it is possibly down to the ongoing drought in the country that has caused a great deal of trouble," it said.

The festival in Pyongyang was due to run from Wednesday to the end of August. A week ago, North Korea's official media was still reporting about the event, so the decision to call it off was likely made abruptly.

The U.N. Food Agriculture Organization said last week that a prolonged dry spell from April in North Korea's main central and southern cereal-producing provinces is causing its worst drought since 2001.

North Korea organized its first beer festival in 2016. The event featuring draft Taedonggang beer, one of the most popular brands in North Korea, food and music performances, was a big success and it was also open to foreign tourists.

The production of the popular beer started in 2002 after North Korea bought a defunct British brewery, which was dismantled and brought to Pyongyang.

(KCNA/Kyodo)