US warns Americans against travel to North Korea
At least 14 US citizens have been detained by Pyongyang over the past decade, according to Washington.
Washington
: The State Department has urged Americans to avoid all travel to North Korea, warning that US citizens making the trip risk long and -"unduly harsh-" imprisonment if they fall foul of laws in the hermit state.
At least 14 US citizens have been detained by Pyongyang over the past decade, according to Washington.
-"The State Department strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, which imposes unduly harsh sentences, including for actions that in the United States would not be considered crimes,-" according to a statement Monday.
In one recent well-publicized case, 21-year old American student Otto Warmbier was arrested in January for allegedly stealing a propaganda sign from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang. He was sentenced in March to 15 years' hard labor.
Last month North Korea sentenced a detained Korean-American, Kim Dong-Chul, to 10 years' hard labor on charges of subversion and espionage, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
-"North Korea has detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours. Being a member of a group tour or using a tour guide will not prevent North Korean authorities from detaining or arresting you,-" the statement cautioned.
-"Efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of US citizens in the DPRK have not been successful.-"
The State Department went on to say that Americans traveling to North Korea, against the advice of the State Department, -"should have no expectation of privacy-".
-"All electronic and multimedia devices including USB drives, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet browsing histories and cookies are subject to search for banned content,-" read the statement, which added a long list of actions seen as harmless in the US but which could be deemed serious offenses in North Korea.
-"Possession of any media, either physical or electronic, criticizing the DPRK government or its leaders is considered a criminal act punishable by long-term detention in hard labor camps and heavy fines.-"
Other activities that could be -"treated as crimes-" include -"showing disrespect-" to the country's past or current leaders, -"entering North Korea without proper travel documentation,-" and -"proselytizing or carrying out religious activities.-"
In addition to imprisonment for activities which might be treated as criminal, -"numerous foreigners have been held in North Korea for extended periods of time without being formally charged with any crimes,-" the State Department said.