US to extend ban on citizens' travel to North Korea
(VOVWORLD) - The US State Department is extending the ban on US citizens traveling to North Korea for another year, citing continued concerns about the threat of arrest and long-term detention of US nationals there.
The ban, which was set to expire on Saturday, restricts US passport holders from traveling to or through North Korea. However, a State Department official said that "individuals who wish to travel to or within North Korea for extremely limited purposes," and whose travel is in the US national interest, can apply for a "special validation" from the State Department.
The ban was put in place after US student Otto Warmbier was arrested in North Korea in 2016. He was returned to the US in a coma and died a week later.