Many people have different ideal vacations - some people would like to lie out on the beach for days on end, some people want to climb new mountains, and some people would like to explore new cities. Some people like to explore the unknown. And, for very few people, this “unknown” is North Korea.

If you’ve been keeping up with the news recently, you’ve probably seen the story of Otto Warmbier. Otto was an American student at the University of Virginia, who decided to travel to North Korea as a tourist in January of 2016. After being accused of stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel lobby, Otto was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. Two months after his imprisonment, Otto suffered a medical emergency that caused Otto to fall into a coma. After nearly 18 months in captivity, Otto was released to the United States on June 13th. Tragically, Otto died on June 19th in his homestate of Ohio.

Following the death of Otto, the Trump administration is considering banning travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea. Currently, the U.S. government only strongly warns American against traveling to North Korea, but there is no formal geographic travel restriction on North Korea - this type of restriction would make all US passports invalid in the region. The US has no geographic travel restrictions on any country currently, but economic sanctions make it difficult to travel to places like Cuba and elsewhere.

It is unclear how many Americans actually travel to North Korea, as they usually use Chinese travel agencies to organize their trips. There are some Americans who travel to North Korea and return unscathed - however, there are still three Americans who remain in North Korean custody.

My central question is - why do you really want to travel to North Korea? People have characterized Otto to be an energetic adventure-seeker, and I’m sure he was! But no matter how much adventure you crave, why would you go to a country where you would automatically have a target on your back? Why go to an oppressive, secretive, nuclear-armed nation? I can think of a lot of places to go as an adventure seeker before I decided to go to North Korea. A trip to North Korea is a trip that is asking for trouble, as so devastatingly seen with Otto Warmbier.

I think when you take a trip such as a proposed one to North Korea, you should know the risk involved with going. This in no way excuses the (potential) actions of the North Korean government with regard to Otto Warmbier - there should not be a country in which people fear for their safety and security as tourists, but this is the world that we live in. Given all of the information, people should be able to choose where they travel. So, I am not in support of a travel ban. I am in support, however, of a possible plan proposed by Senator John McCain. This would require prospective American travelers to fill out a form declaring they won’t hold the US government responsible for whatever happens. This form would make American travelers affirm they are aware of what has transpired with previous American travelers, such as Otto Warmbier.

Our essential right as Americans is our freedom. The freedom to make our own decisions and live with our consequences. So, if you want to travel to a land of increasing danger, that is your decision. Just as it would be my decision to avoid that trip at all costs.