U.S. State Department banning travel to North Korea

[Cobratron]

U.S. State Department to clamp ban on travel to North Korea

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday said it will bar Americans from traveling to North Korea due to the risk of "long-term detention" in the country, where a U.S. student was jailed while on a tour last year and later died.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has authorized a "Geographical Travel Restriction" on Americans to forbid them from entering North Korea, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"Once in effect, U.S. passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea," Nauert said.

The move was due to "mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement," she said.

Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old American was sentenced last year to 15 years hard labor in North Korea for trying to steal a propaganda sign while on a tourist visit.

He returned to the United States in a coma on June 13 after being released on humanitarian grounds and died June 19. The circumstances surrounding his death are not clear, including why he fell into a coma.

North Korea has said through its state media that Warmbier's death was "a mystery" and dismissed accusations that he had died as a result of torture and beating in captivity.

North Korea is currently holding two Korean-American academics and a missionary, a Canadian pastor and three South Korean nationals who were doing missionary work. Japan says North Korea has also detained at least several dozen of its nationals.

It was not known how many Americans were currently in North Korea and the State Department said it was not its practice to give numbers of U.S. citizens living in or travelling to a particular country.

U.S. officials say North Korea will become the only country in the world Americans are banned from visiting.

The department said it plans to publish a notice in the Federal Register next week, starting a 30-day clock before the restriction takes effect, Nauert said.

 

[Cobratron]

There's a good case to be made for allowing potential Darwin Award winners who might want to visit to do so, but overall, I think it's best we stop letting our citizens (even if they are complete idiots) go over there.

 

[The Fukin Prophecy]

Pointless ban...

You have to be a complete fukking idiot to want to travel to NK in the first place...

 

[ADevilYouKhow]

I agree with it.


The resources and good will to get these guys released is better placed elsewhere.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Pointless ban...

You have to be a complete fukking idiot to want to travel to NK in the first place...

 

[Scoop]

On one hand I agree with the ban on another I kinda like the idea of idiots being weeded out this way.

I think low key this is to get Americans out before our pending invasion.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

No problem with this at all.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Pointless ban...

You have to be a complete fukking idiot to want to travel to NK in the first place...

The point is keeping complete idiots from giving NK negotiating leverage by getting themselves in trouble over there.

 

[Bernie Madoff]

No more wrestling ppv's?

 

[The Fukin Prophecy]

The point is keeping complete idiots from giving NK negotiating leverage by getting themselves in trouble over there.

The federal government does not and should not be negotiating for the idiots...

If their families want to that's on them...

I see this as a method of weeding out the idiots...

That CAC that was returned back a vegetable and subsequently died was a good thing, probably a future Trump voter...

 

[Orbital-Fetus]

I think low key this is to get Americans out before our pending invasion.

first thing that popped into my head.
however i don't think an invasion is how it will go down.
the entire area of north korea with artillery capable of hitting Seoul will be bombed into oblivion.
simultaneously, Pyongyang will be getting that "shock and awe" times a hundred.

they just gotta find a way to televise it.