Reflections on traveling to North Korea

Mr. Warmbier’s death was a tragedy. He was the victim of a government that does not understand rule of law. He did not in any way deserve to be arrested, much less killed. He did not deserve what he got. But neither does the climber swept away in an avalanche on Everest. Or the kayaker who drowns running a rapid. The vacationer killed in a terrorist attack in a usually tranquil city. Or the honeymooner shot and killed in an attempted armed robbery in the United States. There are risks in all travel. Some places more than others. North Korea more than most.

Originally published in the July, 2017 issue of Here! Dongguan