U.S. Extends Ban on Travel to North Korea for Another Year, Citing 'Serious Risk' of Detention

The Donald Trump administration has extended the ban on travel to North Korea for U.S. citizens by another year.
According to the U.S. Federal Register on July 21 (local time), the Department of State announced the day prior that the travel ban for U.S. nationals to North Korea has been extended for one year, through August 31 of next year.
The State Department explained that it has determined there remains a "serious risk to United States citizens and nationals of arrest and long-term detention, which poses immediate risks to their physical safety" when traveling to North Korea.
It further added, "All U.S. passports are invalid for travel to, in, or through North Korea unless specially validated by the Secretary of State."
The U.S. administration first implemented the travel ban on September 1, 2017, shortly after American college student Otto Warmbier died after being released in a coma following his detention in North Korea during the first year of the initial Trump administration.
This measure has been extended annually not only during the first Trump administration but also throughout the Joe Biden administration, and it was extended again last year following the inauguration of the second Trump administration.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.