The End of North Korea Travel
Otto Warmbier's brutal murder shows why we should ban tourism to the Hermit Kingdom.
By Congressman Joe Wilson
OTTO WARMBIER WAS A shining example of what many American families hope for our sons and daughters. He was intellectually curious and interested in the world around him. He was studious and bright – his parents described him as someone "whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds." I have no doubt he would have done great things for his community and for our country.
Sadly, Warmbier was murdered by the North Korean regime. While there will always be much we do not know about Warmbier's treatment and medical care while he was in North Korea, one thing is certain: By imprisoning Warmbier with sham charges and keeping him from family, diplomats and international observers, the North Korean regime is clearly responsible for his death.
As President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weigh the next steps towards the regime in North Korea, one thing is clear: It is past time for the United States to absolutely restrict civilian travel to North Korea. That's why I've introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Adam Schiff to require all Americans who travel to North Korea to seek a license from the Treasury Department, and no licenses may be issued for tourism.
Warmbier was one of 17 Americans who have been wrongfully imprisoned by the North Korean regime in the last decade. Sadly, there has been an increase in Westerners seeking the thrill of traveling to the Hermit Kingdom, and tourism to the regime is becoming increasingly common.
Make no mistake: The regime seeks out Western tourists. Their advertising is a continuation of domestic propaganda promoting exotic locations and "safe" experiences. Some go so far as to claim that no person has been detained while on one of their trips. Worse, they claim that tourism is a form of liberalization for the country – allegedly opening up revenue, opportunity and the citizens to outside cultures.
Sadly, like most everything else in North Korea, that is a shiny farce, covering up the truth of the regime.
While the regime would have you believe that the tour guides are individual entrepreneurs, all guides are approved by the regime in North Korea – handpicked to monitor tourists. Indeed, one of the offenses a foreigner may be detained for is interacting with nonapproved locals. Worse, the regime has routinely imprisoned innocent foreign civilians and used them as propaganda props to gain credibility with the West.
The need to restrict travel also goes beyond preventing the risk of imprisonment – every penny the regime takes in is used to subjugate the people of North Korea. While tourism does not make up the majority of North Korea's economy, it is an ever-growing and reliable source of income for the dictatorship. All of the income goes directly to the Kim family – continuing the abject poverty of the civilian population. Indeed, part of the State Department travel warning even cautions:
The DPRK funnels revenue from a variety of sources to its nuclear and weapons programs, which it prioritizes above everything else, often at the expense of the well-being of its own people … We would urge all travelers, before travelling to the DPRK, to consider what they might be supporting.
Will a tourist restriction stop all cases of Americans being captured by North Korea? Probably not. Will an American tourist restriction make a significant financial impact on the North Korean regime? Probably not. But what it can do is ramp up pressure against the brutality of the regime. We will be most successful defeating that brutality by suffocating the communist, totalitarian dictatorship of any source of income, and depriving it of the opportunity to use innocent Americans like Warmbier as bargaining chips in an attempt to seek credibility on the global stage.