American student Otto Warmbier cries while speaking to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo / AP
American student Otto Warmbier cries while speaking to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo / AP
The company that took American student Otto Warmbier to North Korea before his detention and death advertises itself as offering "budget travel to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from".
And even after their customer died following a 17-month stint behind bars in the rogue state, the tour guide's site still says that "North Korea is probably one of the safest places on Earth to visit".
Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia honours student, died on Monday, days after he was released back to the US from North Korea. He spent more than a year of his detention in a coma after suffering a catastrophic brain injury following his conviction for committing a "hostile act" against the country.
American student Otto Warmbier is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo / AP
Now, attention has focused on the budget tour operator that brought Warmbier to the country in the first place - Young Pioneer Tours.
The China-based company announced on Monday that it would no longer accept Americans on its tours, due to the high risk to those travellers, as it faces claims that its trips have a boozy culture.
A Young Pioneer Tours staff member has been pictured on Instagram swigging alcohol, amid touristy shots inside North Korea.
One picture was posted just a few days after Warmbier was arrested in 2016.
British traveller Adam Pitt told US site ConsumerAffairs that a Young Pioneer Tours staff member and their tour group drank heavily during his trip with the company in 2013.
Pitt said that when the group's train made it to the border with China, one staff member "was almost unable to stand and barely understandable when he did speak".
While US citizens are no longer permitted, Australians are still able to take advantage of the company's small guided tours, which start at €445 ($685) for a three-day stay.
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".
"Foreign visitors have been subject to arbitrary arrest and long-term detention," the Department of Foreign Affairs' Smartraveller website advises.
"Foreigners may be arrested, detained or expelled for activities that would not be considered crimes in Australia, including unsanctioned religious and political activities, unauthorised travel, or unwarranted interaction with local nationals."
Young Pioneer Tours' website, however, plays up the fun and adventure that can be found in the hermit kingdom, while downplaying the dangers.
American student Otto Warmbier cries while speaking to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo / AP
"Despite what you may hear, for most nationalities, North Korea is probably one of the safest places on Earth to visit provided you follow the laws as provided by our documentation and pre-tour briefings," the site reads.
"North Koreans are friendly and accommodating, if you let them into your world and avoid insulting their beliefs or ideology."
The site notes, however, that "consequences can be severe" if tourists violate the "extremely strict lèse-majesté laws", which punish those who insult the country or its leader, Kim Jong-un.
It is these laws that Warmbier fell foul of at the end of his five-day trip with Young Pioneer Tours.
He was arrested in January 2016 at the Pyongyang airport after being accused trying to steal a propaganda poster.
His family say he was coerced into giving a tearful confession, which was broadcast worldwide.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves during a military parade. Photo / AP
At the time of his arrest, Young Pioneer Tours leader Charlotte Guttridge told Reuters that the incident that sparked his arrest happened away from the rest of the tour group.
"What happened, happened at the hotel and my belief is that Otto kept it to himself out of hope it might go unnoticed," she said.
Young Pioneer Tours founder Gareth Johnson said at the time that he stayed behind in Pyongyang when he found out Warmbier had been detained.
"It was an automatic response. I wanted to try and work out what the situation was and it was my hope that I would at least be able to speak with him," he told Reuters.
Despite the suggestion of the company's boozy culture, 96 per cent of the 511 customers who left a review on TripAdvisor gave Young Pioneer Tours an "excellent" rating.
"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.
Meanwhile, pressure is growing on US President Donald Trump to punish North Korea over Warmbier's death.
One move under consideration, according to the Wall Street Journal, is to ban American tourists from visiting North Korea, which welcomes about 5000 Western visitors each year.
Trump has called the death of Warmbier a "total disgrace" but stopped short of accusing the reclusive nation of "murder", which Republican senators John McCain and Marco Rubio have done.
News.com.au put questions to Young Pioneer Tours for this article, but the company did not respond at the time of publication.
