US State Department tells visitors to draft a will before visiting North Korea

The U.S. State Department updated the North Korean travel advisory, telling visitors to draft a will and make funeral plans before traveling.

North Korea is listed as a Level 4: Do Not Travel Country due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals.

The warning states that individuals with a U.S. passport cannot travel in, to or through North Korea without special validation from the State Department.

It goes on to say if special validation is permitted, one should draft a will, and discuss planning a funeral with loved ones among other recommendations.

Last year, US Citizen Otto Warmbier was returned to the US in a coma, after being detained in North Korea for more than a year. He died shortly after returning.

The State Department’s warning comes only weeks after Kim Jong Un threatened to strike the U.S. with nuclear warheads.