Going to North Korea? U.S. State Dept. Has Grim Travel Advice

How serious is that Level Four Do Not Travel advisory the U.S. State Department has issued regarding U.S. citizens wishing to travel in North Korea?

There is no Level Five.

Aside from the obvious question ‘what American citizen would want to travel to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ (DPRK), a level four warning makes it clear that you would be on your own, should you choose to do so. “The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea,” the State department website warns.

Further, persons [American citizens] currently in North Korea on a U.S. passport are advised to depart North Korea at once. According to a State Department official, the Secretary of State issued the restriction to U.S. nationals due to mounting concerns over the serious risks of arrest and long-term detention under North Korean law enforcement. In 2016, American Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after a one-hour trial for attempted theft of a propaganda poster from his hotel in North Korea. Warmbier was returned to the U.S. in a coma and died on June 19, 2017.

Those Americans who wish to ignore the Level Four warning (and common sense) will have to apply for a special validation from the Department of State. Special validations are granted only in very limited circumstances, are one-use-only documents and you must meet all other passport criteria and prove your trip is in the national interest.

The State Department identifies the following scenarios in which your DPRK trip may be in the national interest:

Should you manage to get through the maze of administrative and bureaucratic rules and actually receive a one-time use special State Department validation, the Department advises you some pretty extreme steps before leaving home.

First, you should draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. Next, discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc) and even your funeral wishes. Finally, the State Department suggests you enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (a free service that allows U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U. S Embassy or Consulate). The STEP program makes it ‘easier to locate you in an emergency’.

Sounds comforting, but this Level Four advisory makes it very clear the U.S. has no consular relations with North Korea; currently Sweden is the embassy handling U.S. concerns in the DPRK. On the Department’s ‘Travel to High-Risk Areas,’ page, you are further urged to remember you are subject to the laws and justice systems of the country you are visiting. Establish a proof of life protocol and leave DNA samples with your medical provider, and create a contingency plan for rapid departure from high-risk areas in which conventional routes are unavailable.

Even social media could come under scrutiny if you visit North Korea; American citizens are advised to erase any photos, comments and other materials from your social media pages, laptops, cameras and other electronic devices that ‘could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups.’ In November, President Trump announced the U.S. designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. (President Bush had removed the country from the list, which includes Syria, Iran and Sudan in 2008).

“North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil,” the president observed. “This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea and related persons.”

This travel advisory comes as North Korea attempts to use the approaching Winter Olympics in South Korea as an opportunity to establish diplomatic talks. A delegation of North Korean athletes is expected to participate in the Games. With the dire warning attached to this Level Four Travel Advisory, how many Americans will travel so close to DPRK to watch the Games in person?

~ Conservative Zone