Under the ban, starting from September 1, citizens holding US passports will not be allowed to travel to North Korea.
"With the upcoming ban, I feel like I have to go to North Korea now, or never," CNN quoted Nicholas Burkhead as saying. He complained that he did not have time to learn Korean before the ban.
For Burkhead and his men, the risk of being arrested and imprisoned in North Korea, as well as the possible threat of a nuclear war on the peninsula, does not seem to be an obstacle.
The ban on travel to North Korea was issued by the US a month after the mysterious death of American student Otto Warmbier, 22, after being detained in North Korea for nearly a year and a half, and returned in a coma.
However, the ban has some exceptions as decided by the US State Department. Journalists are an example.
"A US passport will not be valid when coming, going through or in North Korea. Individuals will have to apply for a passport with a special confirmation to go to North Korea," CNN quoted Ms. Heather nauert, a spokeswoman for the US State Department.
Despite Pyongyang's recent tensions and missile launches, tourists are still coming to North Korea, despite flights being slightly less crowded than usual. The latest flight had 8 US guests, who were the last allowed to travel to North Korea on tourism visas before the ban took effect.
"It's a pity for those who are curious about going, especially the North Koreans, because they also want to know what American tourists are really like," said Simon Cockerell, who was on the flight.
Cockerell is the general director of Beijing-based travel company Koryo Tours, which brings US guests to North Korea. This is Cockerell's 165th trip to North Korea.
The US State Department does not count the number of US tourists traveling to North Korea, but tour operators say the number is estimated at several hundred people per year.
