Tour operators say US will ban citizens from travel to North Korea

Two tourist agencies that operate tours to North Korea said the US government will soon ban its citizens from travelling to the North.


Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on 27 July and would go into effect 30 days later. It said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs for the United States in the North, informed it of the ban, but it did not say how long it would last.

"But it does seem to be the case that in just over a month,it will be impossible for Americans to visit as tourists," Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockrell told Reuters by telephone.

Another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, said on its website that it had also been informed of the ban, citing the same date.

"After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.

The US embassy in the South Korean capital, Seoul, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 [rte.ie]
21/7/17