Very sad story. Harsh lesson on how other countries are compared to the Great USA. 

Here is one government site worth following before EVER leaving the U.S.
The U.S. Department of State.
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Alerts and Warnings
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html
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North Korea Travel Warning
LAST UPDATED: MAY 9, 2017
The Department of State strongly warns U.S. citizens not to travel to North Korea/the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). U.S. citizens in the DPRK are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea’s system of law enforcement...North Korean authorities have detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours... Efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of U.S. citizens in the DPRK have not been successful...
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/north-korea-travel-warning.html