The ban, which was set to expire on Saturday, restricts US passport holders from traveling to or through North Korea. However, a State Department official said that "individuals who wish to travel to or within North Korea for extremely limited purposes," and whose travel is in the US national interest, can apply for a "special validation" from the State Department.

The ban was put in place after US student Otto Warmbier was arrested in North Korea in 2016. He was returned to the US in a coma and died a week later.