RantCrush Top 5: July 21, 2017

This morning, news broke that the U.S. is preparing to ban tourism to North Korea. According to two tour companies that bring groups to North Korea, the ban will be announced on July 27 and will go into effect 30 days later, although that information has yet to be confirmed by U.S. officials. But the two companies, Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, said they received a heads up from the Swedish Embassy. Sweden has long acted as a diplomatic proxy between the United States and North Korea. After this ban goes into effect, any American who travels to North Korea will supposedly have their “passport invalidated by their government.”

News of the ban comes about a month after the death of Otto Warmbier, a college student who was arrested and imprisoned in North Korea after allegedly trying to steal a poster. North Korea returned Warmbier to the United States in a comatose state. He suffered severe brain damage, although the exact cause has yet to be pinpointed. But even before Warmbier’s death, the American government warned its citizens not to travel to the isolated country. It’s unclear how many Americans even travel to North Korea, but the tour companies say that they see roughly 1,000 each year.

U.S. citizens could be banned from traveling to North Korea as tourists from next month https://t.co/aowTp3LixI

— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 21, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.