State Department renews ban on use of US passports for travel to North Korea

North Korea's first international commercial flight in three years has landed in Beijing as Pyongyang shows tentative signs of easing its prolonged Covid isolation. North Korea shut its borders in early 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are increasing signals the country may be moving towards reopening. A previously scheduled North Korean flight to Beijing on 21 August was abruptly cancelled, with no official reason given.