by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:41 PM ET, Fri July 21, 2017
[IMAGECAPTION] PHOTO: Sunan Airport, North Korea. (photo via Flickr/Stephen) IMAGECAPTION]
Visiting North Korea was always a bad idea, but it may soon also become illegal as the United States government will reportedly issue a full travel ban for the country.
According to The Associated Press, two tour groups operating in the country-Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours-have been contacted by officials from the American government and told that the passports of U.S. citizens would be invalidated starting 30 days after July 27.
The Swedish embassy in North Korea-the U.S. government's diplomatic liaison in the country-informed the tour companies of the decision. Officials from President Donald Trump's administration also confirmed the change.
There are still U.S. citizens living in North Korea, including around 40 Americans teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
In the past, between 800 and 1250 U.S. citizens visited North Korea each year, but the number dropped drastically after the imprisonment of 21-year-old University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier.
[READMORE]READ MORE: North Korea Woos Tourists[/READMORE]
Warmbier was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 as part of a tour group. He was held captive for over a year and fell into a coma. After being returned to the U.S., Warmbier died in June, but how he fell into the coma and how he was treated in North Korea are still unclear.
Warmbier's case has provoked outrage and concern about the safety of Americans in North Korea, as well as support for a travel ban to the Asian nation.
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