The United States have extended its ban on American citizens traveling to North Korea for another twelve months.
The U.S. State Department says the extension comes as "there continues to be serious risk to Americans of arrest and long-term detention" in the North.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
According to the Associated Press on Monday,... the United States has extended its ban on Americans traveling to North Korea for another year,... amid continued worries over the risks to U.S. nationals of being arrested and facing long-term detention in the North.
The measure was extended once in 2018,... and will now remain in place until August 31st, 2020.
The move follows a separate action by the U.S. earlier this month,... where foreign nationals with a record of traveling to North Korea after March 2011, must obtain a visa in order to enter the U.S.
Prior to this measure, countries that were part of the Visa Waiver Program,... including South Korea,... could use just the Electronic System for Travel Authorization to visit the U.S.
The travel ban was first imposed in September 2017,... in the wake of the death of American college student Otto Warmbier,... who was detained in the North,... and died shortly after his return to the U.S.
However,... Americans interested in visiting North Korea for humanitarian or journalism-related purposes will still be able to apply for exceptions through the U.S. State Department.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
