For the past two years, as our family has been sharing about Ignis Community’s work in North Korea, the response to our story usually goes something like this:

“Wait, you said that the U.S. government made you leave North Korea?”

Even for U.S. citizens, most people are unaware of the geographic travel ban that was instituted by the U.S. State Department on September 1, 2017. Those working in Washington D.C. encouraged us by explaining that if the State Department did not proactively initiate this travel ban then Congress could have passed a law banning Americans from traveling into North Korea for five years! As it is, the U.S. State Department re-evaluates the DPRK and U.S. relationship every year. Thus far, the travel ban has been renewed twice. This is the third year that U.S. citizens are restricted from traveling into North Korea.

This comes as a shock not only to the average American, but it was a shock to our family, as well. We had been working in North Korea for ten years when the travel ban was implemented. Working in North Korea is not easy. It requires a lot of patience, perseverance, and flexibility. But never in a million years did we expect that our own government would force us to leave our humanitarian work in North Korea. We always thought that if anyone would ask us to leave the country, it would be the DPRK government.

The travel ban came about as a direct response to the tragic death of Otto Warmbier. After traveling into North Korea on a tourist visa, Otto was detained in the country and sentenced for alleged crimes against the DPRK government. While serving out his sentence in prison, Otto’s health drastically declined. No one knows the full story behind his tragedy. All we know is that by the time the North Korean government alerted the U.S. of Otto’s declining health, it was too late. He was evacuated back to the U.S. only to pass away shortly after.

Otto’s death was extremely unfortunate and tragic. Our family has only sympathy for his family and remorse for what happened.

However, it is because of this one incident that all Americans, including most humanitarian aid workers, are now restricted from entering North Korea. Primarily for limited humanitarian work, the State Department issues Special Validation Passports to a restricted degree. First of all, any humanitarian purpose for traveling into North Korea has to be in the interest of the U.S. government. Secondly, humanitarian workers must be providing urgent, life-saving aid to the people of North Korea in order obtain Special Validation Passports.

My husband and I have been fortunate enough to receive these Special Validation Passports as well as several others within Ignis Community. But in two year’s time, we have only received these passports for four trips into North Korea. It has considerably restricted the work we are able to do inside the nation.

The travel restriction is only pertaining to entering North Korea, though. As explained in “Overcoming Obstacles to Provide Humanitarian Aid to the DPRK”, our non-profit organization, Ignis Community, first had to obtain permission from the U.S. Treasury Department to continue channeling funds into our Pyongyang Spine Rehabilitation Center (PYSRC). Then, in order to ship necessary medical equipment for the treatment of children with developmental disabilities, we had to obtain a U.S. Commerce License (BIS) and UN Sanctions Exemption Permission. The process of obtaining these three licenses took three years.

There were several reasons for why these licenses took so long. First, Ignis Community is a non-profit organization that focuses on work on the field. We had to build up the connections and network in Washington D.C. in order to learn how to navigate all of these requirements. Secondly, the U.S. Treasury License (OFAC License) alone took one year to obtain. Third, because of the political climate and current UN Sanctions, donors stopped supporting the PYSRC. It took two years to raise the funds necessary to complete the PYSRC and ship medical equipment to Pyongyang. Once the PYSRC was nearing completion, then we applied for the U.S. Commerce License and UN permits that allow shipments to go into the DPRK.

Indeed, the current political climate is the greatest challenge to continuing our humanitarian work in North Korea. Specifically, UN Resolution #2397 that restricts all metal from entering North Korea is the biggest challenge for the PYSRC. This resolution is the reason why we had to apply for a UN Sanctions Exemption. Without it, we would not be able to ship any stethoscopes, needles, gait trainers, walkers, or many other medical and rehabilitation supplies. But when considering overall humanitarian work in North Korea, the largest obstacle to overcome for American organizations is the U.S. geographic travel restriction.

Long-term presence on the ground is necessary for any humanitarian work in North Korea to be effective. Originally, we had several U.S. citizens on the ground living in North Korea. Ignis Community was able to monitor day in and day out how supplies were be distributed, who was receiving the aid, and what the greatest needs were. More than anything, it allowed Ignis Community to develop trusting relationships with North Korean counterparts. This opened up doors to providing humanitarian assistance in both the medical field and disaster relief areas to a greater extent than we otherwise would have had the opportunity to do so.

As it is, we are awaiting our fifth application for Special Validation Passports to continue our work in Pyongyang. Although we are grateful for these valuable passports, the application process slows the progress and development of the PYSRC, and as a result, much-needed life-saving treatment for children with developmental disabilities in North Korea. The fact is that without timely medical intervention, children with developmental disabilities in the DPRK often do not survive.

Every year our goal is to open the PYSRC to full capacity. Once the building is completely equipped and the doctors are fully trained, the PYSRC will have the capacity to treat 450 out-patients and 40 in-patients daily. It will be the first training and treatment center of its kind for children with developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and autism, in the entire nation of North Korea.

It is beginning to look like next year our dream may finally become a reality. If the medical and rehabilitation equipment is able to successfully make its way to Pyongyang, we can potentially open the PYSRC. Of course, all of this is dependent upon many factors. We never know how the political tides may turn, but we do hope and trust that as the U.S. State Department continues to engage in discussions with the DPRK, the current difficulties for humanitarian workers in the DPRK will steadily improve.