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The funeral for student Otto Warmbier

The US government, led by President Donald Trump, announced that it would be banning American citizens from going on tours of North Korea following the death of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who was arrested during a tour of North Korea and later died after returning to the US in a coma, the AP reported on July 21.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to implement a travel ban on North Korea, a US government official said. The US invalidates the passports of American citizens that enter a country under such a ban. Officials said that the travel ban on North Korea will take effect within 30 days of its announcement in the Federal Register.

On July 21, the BBC reported that Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, China-based travel agencies that arrange tours to North Korea, had said that same day that the US government would announce a ban on American citizens traveling to North Korea on July 27 and that it would put the ban into effect 30 days later.

“We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea),” Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement released on July 21. This is the travel agency that arranged a tour to North Korea for Otto Warmbier.

“It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th. After the 30 day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government,” the travel agency said. Rowan Beard, owner of the travel agency, told the BBC that the company had been notified of the US ban on travel to North Korea by the Swedish Embassy to North Korea, which handles consular work in North Korea on behalf of the US.

Beard explained that the 30-day grace period was designed to give American citizens who are currently traveling in North Korea or who are in the country for humanitarian reasons time to leave. The Swedish Embassy to North Korea is currently assessing the number of American citizens in North Korea and urging them to immediately leave the country, he said.

Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours, related that he had received the same notification from the Swedish Embassy to North Korea. Cockerell said he would continue arranging trips to North Korea for Americans until the US travel ban took effect.

In 2010, North Korea relaxed the regulations on Americans visiting the country, making it possible for American citizens to travel to the North. But the arrest of Otto Warmbier, who had visited North Korea as a tourist, prompted calls throughout the US government and public for a ban to be placed on American citizens visiting the North. In April, Tillerson said he was considering the option of placing a ban on travel to the North.

By Jung E-gil, senior staff writer

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