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Trump Calls North Korea's Treatment of Warmbier 'a Disgrace'

By VOA News June 20, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korea's treatment of American college student Otto Warmbier was "a total disgrace" and suggested that he might not have died if Pyongyang had allowed him to return home sooner to the United States.

"It's a total disgrace what happened to Otto," Trump told reporters at the White House. "That should never, ever be allowed to happen. And frankly if he were brought home sooner, I think the result would have been a lot different. But what happened to Otto is a disgrace. And I spoke with his family; his family is incredible what they've gone through. But he should have been brought home a long time ago."

The 22-year-old Warmbier died Monday after being detained in North Korea for nearly a year-and-a-half. His parents said in a statement he had "completed his journey home" and was "at peace" shortly before passing away.

Trump on Monday offered his condolences to the family, saying in a written statement, "There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life." Trump called the North Korean government "a brutal regime" and said the death deepens his determination to prevent future tragedies "at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency.''

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Warmbier's death will be a lasting reminder of "the barbaric nature of the North Korean leadership."

Ohio Governor John Kasich said "all Ohioans mourn" the death of Warmbier, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He, too, lashed out at Pyongyang, saying, "This horrendous situation further underscores the evil, oppressive nature of the North Korean regime."

Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who worked to free Warmbier, called him a "promising young man," and said "his passing today is a loss for Ohio and for all of us."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday Warmbier's death was a "tragedy" and hoped the United States and North Korea would "handle the matter appropriately." He declined to comment on whether the death would affect issues regarding the North's nuclear program, but encouraged "all sides" to resume negotiations as soon as possible.

Adam Schiff, the top-ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, called for enactment of a law to place "effective limits on the travel of Americans to this pariah state, and to ban tourist travel entirely" to North Korea.

The organizers of Warmbier's trip to North Korea say they will no longer take U.S. citizens to the country. Young Pioneer Tours posted on its Facebook page Tuesday that Warmbier's death indicates the risk that American tourists face in North Korea "has become too high."

Returned in coma

Warmbier was returned to the United States last week in a coma. Doctors in Cincinnati said the 22-year-old had suffered severe brain damage while in North Korea, but that it was not clear what caused it.

North Korea said Warmbier fell into a coma soon after he was sentenced in March of last year for stealing a political poster from a North Korean hotel. The government claimed the young man fell into a coma after contracting botulism and being given a sleeping pill.

But the Warmbier family heatedly disputed that claim, saying North Korea had "brutalized" Otto.

"Unfortunately, the awful torturous treatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today," the family statement said.

Tensions heightened

Tensions between the United States and North Korea have been heightened by dozens of North Korean missile launches and two nuclear bomb tests since the beginning of last year.

U.S. officials have said they are concerned about three Korean-Americans who remain held in North Korea. There are also at least six South Koreans believed to be in custody as well.

South Korea on Tuesday said it will make every effort for the quick return of its detainees and the U.S. citizens being held in North Korea.

The U.S. government accuses North Korea of using the detainees as political pawns. North Korea accuses the United States and South Korea of sending spies to overthrow its government.

The organizers of Warmbier's trip to North Korea say they will no longer take U.S. citizens to the country. Young Pioneer Tours posted on its Facebook page Tuesday that Warmbier's death indicates the risk of American tourists face in North Korea "has become too high."