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US ‘to ban citizens from travel to North Korea’

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Update: 2017-07-21 08:42:28
US ‘to ban citizens from travel to North Korea’

DHAKA: The United States is to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, according to two agencies that operate tours there.

Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours said the ban would be announced on 27 July to come into effect 30 days later, reports the BBC.

They were informed by the Swedish embassy, which conducts US affairs in the country.

The US has not yet confirmed the ban but there has been momentum, given the worsening ties and the death of jailed American student Otto Warmbier.

Warmbier travelled to North Korea with Young Pioneer Tours. He was arrested in 2016 for trying to steal a propaganda sign and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was returned to the US in a coma in June this year and died a week later.

Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours both revealed on Friday that they had been told of the upcoming ban by the Swedish embassy, which acts for the US as Washington has no diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

Rowan Beard, of Young Pioneer Tours, told the BBC the embassy was urging all US nationals to depart immediately.

He said the embassy was trying to check on the number of US tourists left in the country.

There has been no official confirmation from the US. The state department continues to have an alert dated 9 May strongly warning US citizens not to travel to North Korea.

Otto Warmbier, 22, was an economics student who was arrested on 2 January 2016 and confessed to trying to take a propaganda sign from a hotel.

He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

In June, North Korea said he had been in a coma for a year after contracting botulism.

He was flown back to the US on 13 June but died a week later without regaining consciousness.

His family rejected North Korea's version of events, saying he had been subjected to “awful torturous mistreatment”.

BDST: 1840 HRS, JULY 21, 2017
AP

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