MFat does not recommend you travel to North Korea. As a United Nations member state, New Zealand must comply with UN Security Council decisions. This includes trade sanctions on countries like North Korea. But obviously, this doesn't stop anyone who really wants to go. So if you do, you want to do it right.
I received some advice from Tim Grafton, the CEO of the Insurance Council of New Zealand.
"Some travel insurers do provide cover for North Korea and others don't due to the many sanctions in place," he says.
"Travel to North Korea does come with significant risks and even if travel insurance is in place, those risks still exist. For example, in the event of a medical evacuation insurers would need to work closely with the local authorities to ensure a successful and safe evacuation and the North Korean government may present challenges not seen in most other countries."
I also spoke to Natalie Ball, director of comparetravelinsurance.co.nz and she said that with increased inquiries for travel to North Korea, Kiwis were running into difficulty finding a travel insurer.
"North Korea is designated as 'high risk' by MFat, and most travel insurers have general exclusions for trips to countries which are high or extreme risk. Combine that with hefty potential fines for breaching domestic laws and international sanctions, it's clear why insurers would be hesitant to offer policies.
"Even if you have an insurance policy which lists North Korea, it's important to read the product disclosure statement carefully and check for any coverage exemptions for travel to areas against MFat's advice, or payments which are in breach of government regulations.
"In those cases, you may be covered for cancellation benefits prior to your trip, or expenses for lost luggage upon return, but you may not be eligible for coverage within North Korea itself."
While she can't comment on what specific insurers offer, I did a search on the comparetravelinsurance.co.nz site and found a few insurers popped up as options.
After contacting these insurers that supposedly offered cover, two emailed back to say it was in error and there was no way they'd insure you for such a destination.
However, American Express replied and said its policy did not have any specific exclusion for travelling to North Korea — but there were a few conditions, as you'd probably expect.
The company would not (under any section) pay for claims arising directly or indirectly from:
● An act of terrorism
● War, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection or military or usurped power
● Any nuclear reaction or contamination, ionising rays or radioactivity
● Loss or damage caused by detention, confiscation or destruction by customs or other officials or authorities
● Any government prohibition, regulation or intervention
So as it stands, North Korea is a "travel at your own risk" destination and when it comes to the things that could go horribly wrong, you're unlikely to be able to claim.
I know from past columns that a few of our readers have actually visited North Korea — if anyone would like to share their experiences getting insured, send them through.
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