Tour company maintains travel to North Korea is safe, despite Otto Warmbier’s death

THE travel company that brought Otto Warmbier to North Korea has defended its safety record amid claims it has a boozy culture.

THE travel company that brought US student Otto Warmbier to North Korea has defended its safety record amid claims it has a boozy culture.

Mr Warmbier, 22, died on Monday, 17 months after being detained at the end of a five-day trip with Young Pioneer Tours in early 2016.

Questions have been raised about the travel company, which still says on its website that “North Korea is one of the safest places on Earth to visit”.

Otto Warmbier is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. Picture: AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin

British traveller Adam Pitt told US site ConsumerAffairs this week that a Young Pioneer Tours had a boozy culture and that staff member and their tour group drank heavily during his trip with the company in 2013.

Young Pioneer Tours, however, says it has a “strong focus on safety” and that customers had “different perceptions” about drinking while in North Korea.

“It seems a vocal minority, many of whom travelled with us years ago, have suddenly decided they have concerns to be shared, but frankly everyone has different perceptions on things like drinking and what concerns it raises,” spokesman Rowan Beard told news.com.au.

“On tour, a small minority of customers manage to convince themselves that they could be detained for almost any reason, almost all of which are frankly not cause for concern.

“With the recent tragedy, it’s human nature for some people to overemphasise certain aspects of their experience, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that we have had no other incidents in our years of operating and our reviews speak highly of our professionalism and preparation.”

Mr Warmbier confessed to committing a “hostile act” against North Korea after he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster.

He was jailed for 17 months, more than a year of which was spent in a coma after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

North Korea released him back to the US last week, but he died a few days later.

Young Pioneer Tours announced on Monday that it would no longer accept US citizens on its North Korean tours after the Mr Warmbier’s death.

The company told news.com.au that it was still safe for Australians to come on its tours, despite North Korea threatening a nuclear strike on Australia in April.

“The risks of travelling to North Korea has not changed for Australians, although politically our relationship with North Korea has not been going well recently,” Mr Beard said.

The Australian Government officially advises Australians to “reconsider their need to travel” to North Korea, citing the danger of the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests “further aggravating the already tense situation on the [Korean] Peninsula”.

Young Pioneer Tours has emphasised its good safety record.

“We have taken more than 8000 people to North Korea with only one incident,” he told news.com.au.

“On TripAdvisor we have over 500 reviews, a five-star rating and a certificate of excellence.

“This would be impossible if we didn’t have a strong focus on safety and preparing our customers for their tours.

“We brief our tourists well — both through documentation and at our meetings in Beijing, so they understand what types of behaviour could create problems and how to avoid contravening the law.”

Indeed, Young Pioneer Tours does have a stellar report card on TripAdvisor.

“YPT tours to North Korea was a fantastic and unique experience. The tour guides are organised and professional and provide an opportunity to go to one of the least visited places with ease. Highly recommend!!” Patrick K wrote a month ago in a typical review.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a newly built dental sanitary goods factory. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

Young Pioneer Tours expressed its “deepest sympathies” to Mr Warmbier’s loved ones in a Facebook post on Monday.

“We too are reeling with the shock of a young man’s life taken well before his time,” the company wrote.

YPT attempted to help Mr Warmbier after he was arrested at Pyongyang airport in January 2016, but it was unsuccessful.

“Despite constant requests, we were denied any opportunity to meet him or anyone in contact with him in Pyongyang, only receiving assurances that he was fine,” Mr Beard said.

“There has still been almost no information disclosed about his detention.

“Considering these facts and this tragic outcome, we will no longer be organising tours for US citizens to North Korea.”

Originally published as Tour company maintains travel to North Korea is safe, despite Otto Warmbier’s death