US extends ban on American passports for travel to NKorea

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is extending for one year a Trump-era ban on the use of U.S. passports for travel to North Korea. The ban was imposed in 2017 after the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who suffered grievous injuries while in North Korean custody. The ban has been extended annually. The State Department announces the move in a notice being published Thursday in the Federal Register. Humanitarian groups express concern about the impact the ban has on relief to North Korea, among the world’s neediest countries. The ban makes it illegal to use a U.S. passport for travel to, from or through North Korea unless it’s been specially validated.