FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2019, record photograph a pistillate holds American and North Korean flags arsenic she walks on Sword Lake successful Hanoi, Vietnam. The Biden medication has extended for 1 twelvemonth a Trump-era prohibition connected the usage of U.S. passports for question to North Korea. The prohibition had archetypal been imposed by erstwhile Secretary of State Rex Tillerson successful 2017 aft the decease of American pupil Otto Warmbier who suffered grievous injuries portion successful North Korean custody. It has been extended annually ever since. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2019, record photograph a pistillate holds American and North Korean flags arsenic she walks on Sword Lake successful Hanoi, Vietnam. The Biden medication has extended for 1 twelvemonth a Trump-era prohibition connected the usage of U.S. passports for question to North Korea. The prohibition had archetypal been imposed by erstwhile Secretary of State Rex Tillerson successful 2017 aft the decease of American pupil Otto Warmbier who suffered grievous injuries portion successful North Korean custody. It has been extended annually ever since. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

WASHINGTON – The Biden medication has extended for 1 twelvemonth a Trump-era ban connected the usage of U.S. passports for question to North Korea.

The prohibition had archetypal been imposed by erstwhile Secretary of State Rex Tillerson successful 2017 aft the decease of American pupil Otto Warmbier, who suffered grievous injuries portion successful North Korean custody. It has been extended annually ever since.

The State Department announced the hold of the prohibition until Aug. 31, 2022, successful a Federal Register announcement to beryllium published connected Thursday. Humanitarian groups person expressed interest astir the interaction the archetypal prohibition and its extensions person had connected providing alleviation to isolated North Korea, which is 1 of the world’s neediest countries.

The prohibition makes it amerciable to usage a U.S. passport for question to, from oregon done North Korea, besides known arsenic the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, oregon the DPRK, unless the papers has been specially validated. Such validations are granted by the State Department lone successful the lawsuit of compelling nationalist interest.

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“The Department of State has determined determination continues to beryllium superior hazard to U.S. citizens and nationals of apprehension and semipermanent detention constituting imminent information to their carnal safety,” the section said successful the notice. “Accordingly, each U.S. passports shall stay invalid for question to, in, oregon done the DPRK unless specially validated for specified question nether the authorization of the caput of state."

Warmbier was portion of a radical circuit of North Korea and was leaving the state successful January 2016 erstwhile helium was arrested for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster. He was aboriginal convicted of subversion and was sentenced to 15 years successful prison. In June 2017, North Korean authorities reported to U.S. officials that Warmbier had suffered extended injuries portion successful custody, and President Donald Trump's medication sent a delegation to repatriate him.

Comatose, Warmbier died successful a Cincinnati infirmary six days aft his instrumentality to the U.S. Shortly thereafter, Tillerson imposed the prohibition connected the usage of U.S. passports for question to North Korea.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.