04 August, 2017
The North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized Friday a new ban preventing United States citizens from traveling to North Korea and accused Washington of a "hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.
The United States chose to prohibit citizens from traveling to North Korea after the death of a USA student Otto Warmbier following his detention in the country.
North Korea is now holding two Korean-American academics and a missionary in addition to a Canadian pastor and three South Korean nationals who were doing missionary work. They termed this ban as "childish" and "vile" measure to limit people to people contact.
Although U.S. Secretary of State has assured that the U.S. does not seek "regime change" in the DPRK, other U.S. officials, including United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Senator Lindsey Graham have said that a "military option" is on the table.
The North claimed that a sovereign state has a right to punish criminals under the law, defending itself against the angry reaction from the U.S. following Warmbier's death. "We're trying to convey to the North Koreans we are not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond", he said at a press briefing.
Three American citizens remain detained in North Korea.
Pyongyang claimed that "numerous foreigners including Americans who visited our country unanimously agree" that there "isn't any reason for the foreigners to feel threat".
Washington has also said USA nationals who are resident in the country must have left by this date.
Republican U.S. Representative Joe Wilson, who introduced the bill to ban Americans from traveling to North Korea this year, has said hundreds of Americans are among the roughly 4,000 to 5,000 Western tourists who visit the North each year.
The administration made a decision to ban USA passport holders from traveling to the DPRK based on concerns over "imminent danger to the physical safety", according to a notice by the State Department.
The spokesman called on the Donald Trump administration to abandon its hostile policy towards North Korea.
The restriction on travel is set to begin on September 1, 30 days after its publication in the U.S. Federal Register, and declares U.S. passports invalid for travel to North Korea unless they qualify for an exemption.
