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☆ Tourists have returned to North Korea for the first time since the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

American college student Otto Warmbier was detained on a North Korea trip in 2016, allegedly for stealing a propaganda poster. Courtesy Elena BychcovaRussia and North Korea’s relationshipBefore the pandemic, the largest source of inbound tourists to North Korea wasn’t Russia – it was China. The Russian ski trippers were the first tourists allowed into the hermit kingdom since the pandemic, a sign of Russia’s increasing popularity in North Korea. Now, both say they would consider going to North Korea again someday – but only if the political situation changes. “I hope traveling will save the world.”Another Russian ski trip in North Korea is slated for March 2024.

Persons: Lena Bychcova couldn’t, —, kingdom’s, Kim Jong Un, Otto Warmbier, Bychcova, Ilya Voskresensky, grandpa, Voskresensky, “, KIM, JIN, Kim Won Jin, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, ” Bychcova, Lena Bychcova, Elena Bychcova, Vladimir Putin, –, Bychcova doesn’t, ”, Kim, Putin, Anna Chernova, Mariya Knight Organizations: CNN, Koryo, ”, Getty, Intelligence, Ukraine, Korean, United, Russia, North Locations: Korea, Russian, North Korea, Tourism, United States, Pyongyang, Korean, Vladivostok, Soviet Russia, AFP, Elena Bychcova Russia, North, Russia, China, United Nations, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Ukrainian

☆ Haley to air New Hampshire ad with mother of student who died after North Korea detention
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nikki Haley’s campaign will begin airing a three-minute TV ad in New Hampshire on Monday featuring the mother of an American college student who died in 2017 after being detained by North Korea the previous year. “My son, Otto, was invited to North Korea on an organized tour. He was taken hostage, tortured, and murdered by the government of North Korea,” Warmbier’s mother says in the ad. Otto Warmbier is taken to North Korea's top court in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo on March 16, 2016. Cindy and Fred Warmbier, parents of Otto Warmbier, in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2019.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, Otto Warmbier’s, Cindy Warmbier, “, Otto, ”, Otto Warmbier, Reuters “, Haley, ” Warmbier, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Cindy, Fred Warmbier, Sarah Silbiger, Warmbier, Kim Jong Un, Kim, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, North, New, United Nations, Kyodo, Reuters, White, South Locations: New Hampshire, North Korea, Pyongyang, North Koreans, “, South Carolina, Washington ,

Cindy Warmbier's 22-year-old son, who was released by North Korea while in a coma after almost a year and a half in captivity, died days after returning to the United States in June 2017. Haley is hoping that a strong performance in New Hampshire will give her a boost in her home state of South Carolina, which has historically been influential in determining the eventual nominee. The South Carolina primary is Feb. 24. Ron DeSantis in Monday's Iowa caucuses, has framed her campaign's next chapter as a “two-person race” between Trump and herself. Trump said in 2019 he took Kim “at his word” that Kim was unaware of the alleged mistreatment of the American student.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Otto Warmbier, Cindy Warmbier, Haley, “, Otto, ”, Cindy Warmbier's, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump “, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim “, Kim, Meg Kinnard Organizations: COLUMBIA, — Republican, The University of Virginia, South, Florida Gov, Trump, North Locations: New Hampshire, North Korea, Charleston , South Carolina, United States, Ohio, South Carolina, Monday's Iowa

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it plans to expel a U.S. soldier who crossed into the country in July. Other Americans have entered North Korea over the years, including a few U.S. soldiers. Five months later, North Korea announced it was expelling Lowrance who had entered the country illegally through China. While North Korea officially guarantees freedom of religion, analysts and defectors describe the country as strictly anti-religious. In 2009, American missionary Robert Park walked into North Korea with a Bible in his hand to draw attention to North Korea’s human rights abuses.

Persons: CHARLES JENKINS, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, BRUCE BYRON LOWRANCE, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Lowrance, – Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim, Kim Hak, —, Mike Pompeo, MATTHEW MILLER, Matthew Miller, Miller, Barack Obama, Kenneth Bae, Weeks, KENNETH BAE Bae, Bae, James, JEFFREY FOWLE, Jeffrey Fowle, Tony Hall, Robert Park, OTTO WARMBIER Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Warmbier’s, ”, — Fred, Cindy Warmbier — Organizations: Army, North, Washington, Trump, Associated Press, of Virginia Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, Rich Square , North Carolina, North Korean, Japan, China, North, United States, Kim, Bakersfield , California, Pyongyang’s, Pyongyang, Korean, Lynnwood , Washington, Ohio, Chongjin, New York, Washington

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday that it will expel a U.S. soldier who crossed into the country through the heavily armed border between the Koreas in July. At the time he crossed the border, King was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction. Following weeks of silence, North Korea confirmed in August that it had detained King, 23, and was investigating the circumstances surrounding his border crossing. King, who is from Wisconsin, was among about 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. That happened in 2017 when North Korea deported Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was in a coma at the time of his release and later died.

Persons: Travis King, King, Claudine Gates, ”, “, Otto Warmbier, Bill Richardson —, —, servicemembers Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, DPRK, Democratic People’s, State Department, Pentagon, Associated Press Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, Fort Bliss , Texas, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Wisconsin, Korea, America

☆ North Korea hints at tourism reopening, but doubts remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

When North Korea slammed its already tight borders closed in 2020, he was one of many travel industry professionals left out in the proverbial cold. One of Cockerell’s business concerns, he says, is that a lack of search engine interest in North Korea trips could hurt his website’s visibility on Google. In 2017, the United States banned its passport holders from traveling to North Korea and has renewed this ban through at least 2024. The 2017 ban on American travel to North Korea came shortly after the death of Otto Warmbier, a recent college graduate from Ohio who participated in a Young Pioneer Tours group trip to North Korea. Warmbier was detained in North Korea in 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster and held for 17 months.

Persons: Simon Cockerell, ” Cockerell, ”, Cockerell, Kim, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, CNN’s Paula Hancocks, Irene Nasser, Kate Springer, Yoonjung Seo Organizations: CNN, Air Koryo, of Tourism, United, DPRK, Tours, North Koreans, North Korean Locations: North Korea, North, Pyongyang, Beijing, China, Vladivostok, Russia, Koryo, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tourism, United States, Ohio

☆ Who is Travis King, and what comes next for the US soldier in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18. From Travis King/FacebookThe day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state media, crossed from China into North Korea in 2018. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught the country’s spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his Japanese wife, who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978 and left North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King “, ”, King, Travis King, Bryce Dubee, Christine Wormuth, King “, ” Jaqueda, King’s, “, Claudine Gates, Jonathan Franks, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim, KCNA, Washington “, Private King, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN, Joint Security Area, North, US, CNN, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Army, Incheon International, Aspen Security, South Korean, US Navy, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Washington, Private, Swedish Embassy, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, Texas, Incheon, United States, ” Jaqueda Gates, Pyongyang, Washington, Busan, Japan, North, Maryland, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

However, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that North Korea only acknowledged the U.N. Command's request for information about U.S. Army Private Travis King and stopped short of offering detailed information about him. When pressed, Ryder said that North Korea's message back to the U.N. Command was just "an acknowledgement" of the U.N. Command's inquiry. King sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border, landing the United States in a new diplomatic quandary with nuclear-armed North Korea. After his release from the prison, which is designated for U.S. military members and other foreigners, King stayed at a U.S. base in South Korea for a week, Yonhap said. U.S. officials have expressed deep concern over King's fate in North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Patrick Ryder, Travis King, Ryder, King, Yonhap, Otto Warmbier, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Grant McCool Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, United Nations Command, Pentagon, U.S, Army, DPRK, Democratic People's, Command, U.S . Army, Cavalry, Korean, Force, Fort Bliss , Texas ., Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, REUTERS WASHINGTON, North Korea, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, United States, Cheonan, U.S, Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort Bliss , Texas . U.S

King, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two Koreas. Washington is fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang about him, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday, but North Korea had yet to respond. At that time, U.S. officials had just concluded an initial nuclear agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il. Warmbier was eventually returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, but died days later. "Here's the response we got: one missile launch after another," referring to repeated North Korean missile tests.

Persons: Travis King, Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden, Trump, It's, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, Kim Jong Un's, Kim Jong Il, Hubbard, King, Mickey Bergman, Bill Richardson, Bergman, Jenny Town, Charles Robert Jenkins, ‘, Tae Yong, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Otto’s, Fred, He’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Army, U.S . Army, U.S, North, Koreans, United Nations Command, Richardson, . Army, Reuters, Aspen Security, Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, South Korea, . Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, North, Korea, Koreans, Sweden, New York, Jenny, Korean, Korea's

North Korea's state media, which in the past reported on the detention of U.S. nationals, have also not commented on the incident so far. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt." State Department spokesman Miller said Sweden has been engaged as it acts as a diplomatic channel for Washington which remains technically at war with North Korea. North Korea has previously detained Americans who entered the country and put them on trial but eventually released them, often following high-level diplomatic intervention. A former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea said King may be used as a propaganda tool, but it was not clear how long North Korea would want to exploit his presence.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, Matthew Miller, King, Sarah Leslie, Miller, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, Otto Warmbier, hyang Choi, Phil Smith, Steve Holland, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, State Department, Pentagon, Korean People's Army, North, Joint Security Area, New Zealand, Reuters, . State, U.S, United Nations Command, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, U.S, Sweden, North Korea, SEOUL, WASHINGTON, Washington, Pyongyang, North, United States, New, Korea, Korean, Seoul

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans. But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said. American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly." Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.

Persons: Travis King, mistreating, Christine Wormuth, Washington, Wormuth, Otto Warmbier, John Kirby, King, Sabrina Singh, Army's, Singh, North Korea Sung Kim, Kim, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Jake Sullivan, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . Army, United, Aspen Security, White House, National Security, Army, Pentagon, Incheon International Airport, U.S, Reuters, South Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, Pyongyang, United Nations, Colorado, U.S, South Korea, Japan, Incheon, Dallas , Texas, Korea

☆ What do we know about the US solider in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For the first time in decades a US soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody. The US Army has identified the soldier who crossed the demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday as Pvt. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state-run media, crossed from China into North Korea. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught North Korean spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his wife, a Japanese national who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978, was allowed to leave North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King, King “, ”, “, Isaac Taylor, King, Bryce Dubee, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN —, US Army, Joint Security, Democratic, Korean People’s Army, ” US Forces, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Joint Security Area, US Navy, Swedish Embassy, Pyongyang, United Nations Command, Central Intelligence Agency, US, North Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North, United States, Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea, Korean, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, ” US Forces Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, South, Washington, Busan, Japan, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

☆ For North Korea, US defectors can be a propaganda win, but a logistical pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts said discussions over the soldier's fate could see some of the first diplomatic engagement between North Korea and the United States in years. "I do not think North Korea views the latest incident as strong leverage or an opportunity to engage the U.S.," she said. "North Korea knows that the U.S. government is unlikely to change its North Korea policy or its commitment to U.S. extended deterrence because of one U.S. soldier who reportedly faced disciplinary action and wilfully crossed into North Korea." "Their conditions are better not only than the average North Korean prisoner, but of the average North Korean citizen." North Korean border guards fatally shot and burned the body of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020, and later leader Kim Jong Un ordered an entire city into lockdown when a North Korean crossed back into the country from the South.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrei Lankov, Rachel Minyoung Lee, Tae Yong, Tae, Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Kim Jong Un, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Hyonhee, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, Army, Security Area, North, Korea Risk, Stimson, Korean, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, North Korean, Pyongyang, ., United States, Seoul, Korea, Korea's, American, Korean, Washington

She was among some 40 other tourists who were walking around and taking photos in the moments before King made a dash to North Korea. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt," she told Reuters. North Korea is likely to milk the border crossing by a U.S. soldier for propaganda purposes but will probably not be able to gain political leverage, analysts and a former North Korean diplomat said. The notable exception was U.S. college student Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 shortly after being released from a North Korea prison. Still, analysts suggested that King's stay in North Korea could be lengthy.

Persons: Travis T, King, Carl Gates, Gates, Travis, Sarah Leslie, Leslie, Tae Yong, Andrei Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Lankov, It's, Victor Cha, Josh Smith, Matt Spetalnick, Don Durfee, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S . Army, The Korea Times, U.S, Cavalry, Korean, Force, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Daily, Joint Security Area, Reuters, South, Korea Risk Group, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, WASHINGTON, South Korea, Washington, North, Seoul, Fort Bliss , Texas, North Korea, Racine , Wisconsin, New Zealander, U.S, North Korean, Korea, Korean, Korea's, Pyongyang

☆ Factbox: A look at Americans held in the past in North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are some other Americans held in the past by North Korea. - The last American detained by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who was caught after entering from China in October 2018. -Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary, returned to the United States in November 2014 after being imprisoned in North Korea for two years. North Korean media said Park confessed to entering the state illegally and had changed his mind about North Korea after being treated kindly there. - In 1996, Evan Hunziker, then 26, was held for three months in North Korea on spying charges.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tony Kim, Kim Hak, Kim Dong, Jonathan Ernst, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Kim Jong, Otto Warmbier, Joseph Yun, Mike Pompeo, Kim, Kim Sang, Euna Lee, Laura Ling, Bill Clinton, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Todd Miller, Bae, Miller, Robert Park, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, Jimmy Carter, Gomes, Evan Hunziker, Hunziker, Bill Richardson, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick, Alistair Bell Organizations: Base Andrews, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, North, CIA, U.S . State Department, U.S, Korean, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Base Andrews , Maryland, U.S, North, Washington, China, North Korean, United States, Ohio, Pyongyang, American, Korean, Korea, Boston, South Korea

☆ U.S. national crosses into North Korea, likely held in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo daily, citing South Korea's army, identified the person as Travis King, a U.S. army soldier with the rank of private second class. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," it added, referring to North Korea's People's Army. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last week. U.S. State Department travel advisory bans U.S. nationals from entering North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long term detention of U.S. He died in 2017, days after he was released from North Korea and returned to the United States in a coma.

Persons: Travis King, Isaac Taylor, USFK, We're, Otto Warmbier, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Jack Kim, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: U.S, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, National, Democratic People's, . Command, UNC, Twitter, Korea's People's Army, Command, U.S . Army, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, Korea's Defence Ministry, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea's, South, U.S, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, South Korea, United States

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Thursday's release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for a convicted Russian arms dealer has resurfaced an old question: Do prisoner swaps do more harm than good? The details of Griner's release highlight the painful trade-offs confronting the Biden administration. In one such case in 2016, North Korea detained American college student Otto Warmbier during a dispute with the international community over that country's missile launches. Many of the families argue that the U.S. should be willing negotiate and discount the argument that prisoner swaps lead more countries to grab Americans. Those hard choices meant Washington could either leave Whelan in Russian custody or else return empty-handed after months of negotiations.

☆ I traveled to every country in the world, including North Korea, in 558 days. These are my top 10 travel tips.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Cassie De Pecol has traveled to all 193 sovereign nations in addition to Taiwan, Kosovo, and Palestine. These are some of her top travel tips — from her favorite airlines to how to stay safe as a solo traveler. So I decided to go after the Guinness World Record for traveling to every country in the fastest amount of time. How I traveled to 193 countries in just over 18 monthsCassie De Pecol in North Korea. If you can, pack lightFor my trip around the world, I traveled with just a backpack.

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