The United States will extend its North Korea travel ban for another year, citing continued safety risks for American citizens, according to a notice from the State Department published in the Federal Register on May 14.
The renewal will take effect on September 1, 2025, and remain in place through August 31, 2026. The existing restriction was set to expire at the end of August this year. Under the directive, all U.S. passports are deemed invalid for travel to, within, or through North Korea, unless specially authorized by the U.S. government.
![The Rodong Sinmun reported on April 28 that the ″Pyongyang City Souvenir Exhibition 2025″ wrapped up the day before, and provided this photo. [YONHAP]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/0516-travelban.jpg)
In the notice, the State Department cited “serious risk” to the physical safety of U.S. citizens, pointing to the possibility of arrest and long-term detention by North Korean authorities. “The Department of State has determined there continues to be a serious risk to U.S. citizens and nationals of arrest and long-term detention, constituting imminent danger to their physical safety,” the notice read.
The U.S. government first implemented the North Korea travel ban in 2017, following the death of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea and returned home in a coma. Since then, the ban has been renewed annually.
The continued extension underscores ongoing concerns about the unpredictable legal system and diplomatic tensions surrounding travel to North Korea, which remains largely closed to the outside world.
BY MOOYOUNG LEE [lee.mooyoung@koreadaily.com]
