‘It could have been me’: safety questions raised over North Korea tour packages after Otto Warmbier case
Travel agencies are reviewing their policies while some have stopped taking American clients to the reclusive state
The death of Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the United States in a coma after being detained for more than a year in North Korea, has raised questions over the safety standards of tour agencies offering trips to the hermit state.
Travel agents have announced they will either stop accepting Americans or review their policy on the matter.
According to an industry insider, some 1,000 Americans visit North Korea each year.
“It could have been me.” That was Maxwell Hugh Leary’s first thought when he came to know of the death of Warmbier last Monday.
Leary, an American who studied in Hong Kong, went to North Korea in the summer of 2014. He was 22 – a year older than Warmbier at the time of his arrest in January last year. Despite their similarities, the experiences of the two young men could hardly be more different.
“We don’t know exactly what happened to Otto, maybe he was set up … Maybe I could have gone through the same situation. I am obviously thankful that nothing similar happened to me,” he said.