The US State Department is extending the ban on US citizens traveling to North Korea for another year, according to a State Department official.
National interest
The State Department’s guidance says trips to North Korea might be in the US national interest if the traveler is a journalist and the purpose of the trip is to report on the country. Exceptions will also be made for representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross or the American Red Cross traveling on an officially sponsored mission, or if a trip is justified by „compelling humanitarian considerations.“
Exceptions will also be made if the trip „is otherwise in the national interest,“ a category that might include diplomats working on negotiations with Pyongyang to give up or reduce its nuclear program.