Joe Biden Administration Extends Ban On Travel To North Korea With US Passports

Sunan International Airport, Pyongyang, Korea Utara. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - President Biden's administration has extended the ban on flying to North Korea using the country's passport for another year.

The ban was first imposed by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2017, under President Donald Trump, following the death of US student Otto Warmbier, who suffered serious injuries while in North Korean custody. Since then, the travel ban has been extended every year.

The State Department announced an extension of the ban until August 31, 2022, in a Federal Register notice to be published on Thursday. Humanitarian groups have expressed concern about the impact of the initial and extended ban on providing aid to isolated North Korea, which is one of the world's most in need.

The ban makes it illegal to use a United States passport for travel to, from, or through North Korea, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, unless the document has been specifically validated. Such approval is granted by the State Department only in cases of compelling national interest.

"The Department of State has determined that there continues to be a serious risk to U.S. citizens and citizens from long-term arrest and detention that constitutes an imminent danger to their physical safety", the department said in the notice, citing USA Today September 1.

"As such, all US passports will remain invalid for travel to, in, or through the DPRK unless specifically validated for such travel under the authority of the Secretary of State".

Please note, Warmbier was part of a group tour to North Korea and left the country in January 2016, when he was arrested for allegedly stealing propaganda posters. He was later convicted of subversion and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In June 2017, North Korean authorities reported to US officials that Warmbier had suffered serious injuries while in custody and that President Donald Trump's administration sent a delegation to repatriate him.

In a coma, Warmbier died in a Cincinnati hospital six days after returning to the US. Shortly thereafter, Tillerson imposed a ban on the use of US passports for travel to North Korea.