North Korea tour operator says upcoming U.S. travel ban not a 'surprise'

Record ID: 904085

  • Title: North Korea tour operator says upcoming U.S. travel ban not a 'surprise'
  • Date: 25th July 2017
  • Summary: PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (FILE - APRIL 18, 2017) (REUTERS) AIR KORYO PLANE ON TARMAC AIR KORYO STAFF CHECKING PASSENGER TICKETS PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (FILE - APRIL 12, 2017) (REUTERS) PYONGYANG SKYLINE VARIOUS OF CARS DRIVING PAST ON STREET MAN PUSHING BIKE
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2017 11:03
  • Keywords: North Korea Koryo tours U.S. travel ban Otto Warmbier US bans travel to North Korea travelling to North Korea
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA/PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA/PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0046R7T6BR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A tour agency that arranges trips to North Korea confirmed on Tuesday (July 25) they had been informed the U.S. government will soon ban its citizens from travelling there, after the death of a U.S. student who was jailed in the isolated country while on a tour last year.
    Beijing-based Koryo Tours said the ban had not been a surprise to their partners, and that it would be announced on July 27 before going into effect 30 days later. They said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs for the United States in the North, had informed them of the ban.
    Koryo Tours General Manager Simon Cockrell said that after the death of U.S. student Otto Warmbier, who had visited North Korea on a tour with Young Pioneer Tours, the market for U.S. tourists was already "limited", but that this ban will bring the number of Americans to "zero" and undoubtedly have an impact on the market.
    He added that any U.S. citizen who visits North Korea while the ban is in effect without special permission from the U.S. government is subject to having their passport cancelled. The isolated state allows foreign tourists to visit but their travel is strictly limited.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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