N. Korea leaving door open to US visitors

North Korea on Friday slammed the US for issuing a travel ban on the country, adding US visitors "of good will" are welcome, the media reported.

"Regardless of any government policy towards North Korea, we encourage various forms of exchanges including visits by people from all over the world," a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

"We will always leave our door wide open to any US citizen who would like to visit our country out of good will and see the realities with their own eyes," he said.

The spokesman stressed North Korea was safe enough for foreign visitors where they feel no threat at all because of its "stable and strong state system".

For a few US citizens punished for their hostile acts against North Korea, the spokesman said: "There is no country in the world that will ignore foreigners who committed hostile acts within its territory."

He said it was a "legitimate right" of a sovereign state to punish criminals as required by law.

He also slammed the travel ban as a "childish" and "vile" measure to limit people-to-to people contact.

He said its purpose was to prevent US citizens from seeing "the true picture of North Korea that has achieved victory after victory".

"It is also a reflection of the US administration's perception which regards North Korea as an enemy," said the spokesman.

The spokesman called on the Donald Trump administration to abandon its hostile policy towards North Korea.

The US Department of State on August 2 announced a travel ban to North Korea, which will come into effect next month.

--IANS

py/sac