Isn’t that the US government banned its citizens from traveling to North Korea unless the State Dept issues a special permission to the traveler?
That's correct.
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...epublicof.html
I'm assuming OP would secure necessary permissions. If granted, why should such travel be automatically disqualifying? Indeed, given the stringent conditions for approval, such as being in the national interest, one should have the state department's implicit if not explicit "blessing" for the trip. Obviously it would have to be disclosed.