US slaps new travel warning on North Korea due to ‘risk of wrongful detention’
U.S. citizens who visit North Korea face a high risk of wrongful detention by the government, the State Department said this week, slapping a new travel warning on the DPRK and five other countries.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduced the new “D” indicator to official travel advisories on Tuesday, saying that the mark would highlight dangers of going to countries that may target individuals “because of their U.S. citizenship or ties to the United States or use them as a bargaining chip.”
“The United States opposes the practice of wrongful detentions and the use of individuals as political pawns,” Blinken said.
North Korea joins China, Iran, Myanmar, Russia and Venezuela on the inaugural list of countries to receive the designation.
In a background briefing with reporters on Monday, a senior administration official said the “D” indicator was “a way of increasing transparency for the U.S. public traveling.”
“We have for a long time highlighted the risk of wrongful detention in certain countries, but by flagging it in this very clear way, we are hopeful that there will be fewer cases of U.S. travelers choosing to go to certain countries where this risk is greater than in others,” the official said.
The new indicator was introduced alongside an executive order signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden aimed at boosting efforts to bring home hostages and wrongfully detained citizens.
The executive order gives Washington power to impose sanctions on individuals and states involved in hostage-taking and prioritizes information-sharing with families of overseas detainees.
Biden signed the order in the wake of the high-profile detention in Russia of American basketball player Brittney Grier, who was arrested in the Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
The State Department has classified Grier — who pleaded guilty to the drug charges in a Russian court earlier this month — as wrongfully detained.
North Korea retains its “Level 4: Do Not Travel” designation from the State Department. Its information page was updated with the new “D” mark and an additional warning for travelers to “exercise increased caution to North Korea due to the critical threat of wrongful detention.”
The U.S. government prohibits its citizens from traveling to the DPRK under a travel ban first imposed in Sept. 2017 in response to the death of Otto Warmbier. The American student was detained in North Korea and later returned to the U.S. in a comatose state, dying shortly after his release.
Washington extended the ban for another year in Sept. 2021.
The State Department advises travelers to North Korea to draft a will and discuss plans for funeral wishes and custody of pets and children before departing.
Colin Zwirko contributed reporting to this article. Edited by Bryan Betts.
FOREIGN RELATIONSHUMAN SECURITY / HUMAN RIGHTS
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