Why (In Short) The U.S. State Department Should Lift the Travel Ban on American Citizens Visiting North Korea
Understanding the North Korean People -v- Their Government, Providing Humanitarian Aid and Protecting American Citizens' Rights to Travel
The U.S. State Department's travel ban on American citizens visiting North Korea has been in place for several years now, with the most recent iteration being issued in 2017. While the ban is intended to protect American citizens from the dangers and uncertainties of travel to North Korea, it is ultimately counterproductive and should be lifted.
First, the travel ban limits the ability of American citizens to engage with the North Korean people and gain a deeper understanding of the country and its culture, an essential process of positive change. This lack of understanding is a major barrier to improving relations between the U.S. and North Korea, and ultimately to achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. By lifting the travel ban, American citizens would be able to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and build better relations with the North Korean people.
Second, the travel ban also limits the ability of American citizens to provide humanitarian aid and support to the North Korean people. The country is facing a humanitarian crisis, having been even more isolated throughout the Covid pandemic, with widespread food shortages and limited access to basic medical care. American citizens who are passionate about helping to alleviate this suffering are currently unable to do so because of the travel ban. Lifting the ban would allow them to provide much-needed aid and support to the North Korean people.
While there are exemptions granted to specific humanitarian workers, these often don’t always include assistants and family members of said workers who pre-2017 were able to commit to long-term presence in the country naturally creating a need for said assistants and/or family members to travel alongside the humanitarian workers.
Lastly, the travel ban is a violation of American citizens' right to travel. The United States is a country that prides itself on freedom and democracy, and yet the current travel ban is a restriction on the freedom of American citizens to travel as they see fit. Lifting the ban would restore the rights of American citizens and would also send a message to the world that the United States is a country that believes in freedom, including the freedom to travel around the world.
In conclusion, the U.S. State Department's travel ban on American citizens visiting North Korea is counterproductive and should be lifted. It limits the ability of American citizens to engage with the North Korean people, provide humanitarian aid, and it is a violation of American citizens' right to travel.
Lifting the ban would be a step towards improving relations between the U.S. and North Korea as America does not have any other representation there other than American humanitarian workers, their assistants, and their families who play integral roles in building relationships with the locals which in turn leads towards achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing tensions on the Korean peninsula, the other gateway to the East.
Peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula rely solely on donor support. Peace in Korea means peace for the world but we need your help in making this possible!
If you can even make a small one-time donation and share this article with friends, it can go a long way.
