House, Senate bills would bar tourist travel after death of American student imprisoned by Pyongyang
Both chambers of Congress are readying legislation to bar Americans from traveling to North Korea after the death of a U. S. citizen held by Pyongyang and amid the continued detention of three others.
„There’s no question we shouldn’t have people on a willy-nilly basis going to North Korea, “ Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said Wednesday. „We should have a travel ban, and we’re working on legislation right now.“
„We need to protect Americans and I think we need to restrict access by Americans because we can’t protect them [in North Korea] , “ said the committee’s top Democrat, Ben Cardin of Maryland.
The perils of travel to North Korea were highlighted earlier this month by the death of 22-year-old American student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in the country for allegedly stealing a poster, and then was returned to the United States in a coma with fatal brain damage.
Corker said the concern extends beyond the safety of individual American tourists who might be tempted to visit North Korea.
„We’ve got three Americans [detained] there now. It ends up affecting our own national security, “ the chairman said. „We’ve seen it happen in Iran and other places.
