The U.S. government will extend its travel ban on North Korea for its citizens by another year.
The U.S. Department of State announced through the Federal Register on the 14th (local time) that it will extend the measure prohibiting visits to North Korea (including transit) with a U.S. passport without special permission until Aug. 31, 2026. Special permission will only be granted in limited circumstances, such as for humanitarian purposes or media reporting.
The Department of State explained the background, noting that "there remains a serious risk of U.S. citizens and nationals being arrested and subjected to long-term detention," adding that "this poses an imminent threat to the physical safety of Americans."
Previously, the Department of State banned travel to North Korea for the first time in September 2017 after U.S. college student Otto Warmbier was detained in North Korea and released in a comatose state, only to die a week later. Since then, the ban has been extended annually.