A consensus is emerging on Capitol Hill to try to protect Americans — and to punish North Korea — by cutting off tourism to the rogue nation.
Top Republicans and Democrats on national security and foreign affairs committees have pressed for action after the death Monday of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was held in North Korea for more than a year after being convicted of taking a propaganda poster from a hotel wall.
Warmbier was released by North Korea last week but was in a coma, and he died Monday. His family has blamed harsh treatment by his captors, while member of Congress called it murder.
Lawmakers said North Korea lures tourists, who then end up in danger from the regime.
“The barbaric treatment of Otto Warmbier by the North Korean regime amounts to the murder of a U.S. citizen,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat at the House intelligence committee.
American tourists feed money to North Korea and the government uses captives as hostages for negotiations, trying to win concessions from other countries.
Three Americans are currently believed to be detained by the regime, including two academics who were arrested in the past couple of months.
Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that the U.S. should cut off tourist travel to North Korea, lending his voice to the effort.
Mr. Schiff and Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, introduced legislation last month that would require Americans to get approval from the Treasury Department before traveling to North Korea. Tourist visits would not be approved.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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