North Korea says U.S. student's death a 'mystery to us as well'

[rooster59]

North Korea says U.S. student's death a 'mystery to us as well'

By Jack Kim

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. student Otto Warmbier cries at court in an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on March 16, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA/Files

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday the death of U.S. university student Otto Warmbier soon after his return home was a mystery and dismissed accusations that Warmbier had died because of torture and beating during his captivity as "groundless".

 

North Korea's foreign ministry spokesman said Warmbier was "a victim of the policy of strategic patience" of former U.S. President Barack Obama whose government never requested his release, according to comments carried by the official KCNA agency.

 

"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the U.S. ... is a mystery to us as well," KCNA quoted the spokesman as saying.

 

Warmbier, 22, was arrested while visiting the reclusive country as a tourist. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korean state media said.

 

He was sent home last week suffering from brain damage and in what U.S. doctors called a state of unresponsive wakefulness. He died on Monday.

Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department’s East Asia Bureau, said Washington had repeatedly requested the release of Warmbier under the Obama administration.

 

A former senior State Department official said the United States had made repeated requests for Warmbier's release on humanitarian grounds under Obama, including via the North Korean mission at the United Nations, via the Swedish mission in Pyongyang, at unofficial talks with North Korean officials involving former U.S. officials, and via third parties.

 

Warmbier's death fanned a conflict between the North and the United States that was already aggravated by North Korea's defiant missile launches and two nuclear tests since early last year as part of its effort to build a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

 

A U.S. official said on Thursday that North Korea had conducted another test of a rocket engine believed to be linked to Pyongyang's ICBM programme.

 

"CLEARLY A CRIMINAL"

 

U.S. President Donald Trump blamed "the brutality of the North Korean regime" for Warmbier's death. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who had advocated talks with the North, said Pyongyang had a "heavy responsibility" in the events leading up to the University of Virginia student's death.

 

The North's unnamed ministry spokesman said that such accusations were part of a smear campaign to slander the country that had given "medical treatments and care with all sincerity" to a person who was "clearly a criminal".

 

U.S. doctors who travelled to the North last week to bring Warmbier home recognised that the North had provided him with medical treatment, the spokesman said. "To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident."

 

North Korea accepted repeated requests from the present U.S. administration, the spokesman said, and repatriated the student on humanitarian grounds "in consideration of his bad health."

 

The exact cause of Warmbier's death remains unclear. Officials at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was treated after his return, declined to provide details. His family asked the local coroner not to perform an autopsy.

 

Thousands of friends and relatives gathered at Wyoming High School in suburban Cincinnati on Thursday for a memorial service for Warmbier, who graduated from the school as salutatorian in 2013.

 

After returning from a five-day trip to North Korea on June 17, former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman suggested on Friday that his visit may have had something to do with Pyonyang's decision to send the student home.

 

Rodman, who has faced ridicule and criticism for visiting North Korea in the past, has said he was trying to bring sports to the increasingly isolated country.

 

"I was just so happy to see the kid released," Rodman told ABC News in an interview. "Some good things came of this trip."

 

The United States has demanded North Korea release three other U.S. citizens it holds in detention: missionary Kim Dong Chul and academics Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-24

[jerojero]

Yes we're sure North Korea is sincerely remorseful for what happened under their watch. Sheesh!

[Get Real]

That´s just one that will never be solved

[retarius]

Wonder why the family requested no autopsy?

[phantomfiddler]

It look to me as if the wonderful people in north korea are experimenting on prisoners, as oxygen deprivation would be the most likely cause of the brain damage that the poor lad suffered. 15 years hard labour for nicking a poster ? get real ! There should be some form of World Court that can do something about ridiculous sentences.

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the spokesman said. "To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident."

to repeat and be very clear about this: North Korea is the biggest victim of this incident, not Otto Warmbier, who instigated this situation to victimize North Korea.

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Wonder why the family requested no autopsy?

I can understand the pain of the family, and the idea of not wanting their son to 'suffer' anymore (even after his death) but an autopsy would have more than likely cleared up the cause of death.

[Rob13]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Wonder why the family requested no autopsy?

 

They're Jewish. 

[Kiwiken]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

It look to me as if the wonderful people in north korea are experimenting on prisoners, as oxygen deprivation would be the most likely cause of the brain damage that the poor lad suffered. 15 years hard labour for nicking a poster ? get real ! There should be some form of World Court that can do something about ridiculous sentences.

You go to a Nation Known for its Authoritarianism  and brutality. You tear down a propoganda poster and think what? You will get a $50 fine and a slap on the hand. No you are going to be made a Public example of Western decadism . You will get hard labor. If you protest you will be beaten.

Thank goodness western Countries are not as brutal. Only humane water boarding, thumb screws, nail pulling and other minor humiliations.

You want to be treated as you are in your own Countries. Want to travel respect the laws in other Nations. And p.s do your homework first. Stupid acts have deadly repercussions.

I feel sorry for his Family. Why did he go there in the first place?

 

[Stargeezr]

North Korea should not get any visiters from any country, it should be avoided and not

seen by any one.  Stay away and stay healthy is my advice.  These people are not worth

visiting, especially the leader and any of his military. The leader and military that were involved

with this American are responsible for his condition and death.  PERIOD!

Geezer

[lvr181]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

It look to me as if the wonderful people in north korea are experimenting on prisoners, as oxygen deprivation would be the most likely cause of the brain damage that the poor lad suffered. 15 years hard labour for nicking a poster ? get real ! There should be some form of World Court that can do something about ridiculous sentences.

"There should be some form of World Court that can do something about ridiculous sentences." As long as your butt points to the ground, a World Court order is not about to happen or be enforceable.

[williamgeorgeallen]

silly otto is dead because he went to north korea and decided to be a thief.  i feel for his family and the grief he cause  them.

[lvr181]

6 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

North Korea should not get any visiters from any country, it should be avoided and not

seen by any one.  Stay away and stay healthy is my advice.  These people are not worth

visiting, especially the leader and any of his military. The leader and military that were involved

with this American are responsible for his condition and death.  PERIOD!

Geezer

Unfortunately the people are totally unaware of what is going on because their leader/s do not allow them to know any different apart from the official line.

 

Hmmm....I wonder if any other country is moving long the same or similar lines? 

[Rob13]

5 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

decided to be a theif

Wouldn't be too sure about that. There's been no credible evidence he stole anything.All the NK has come up with is a grainy out of focus video that could be of anyone. His roommate from the trip said he was accounted for during the time the NK claims he was stealing the poster. Very possible North Korea was looking for one more bargaining chip to use against the US and they duped him as the fall guy. NK has a long history of lying, no reason to think they started telling the truth now. Only thing poor Otto is guilty of is being 22 and making a bad decision. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

25 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

Wouldn't be too sure about that. There's been no credible evidence he stole anything.All the NK has come up with is a grainy out of focus video that could be of anyone. His roommate from the trip said he was accounted for during the time the NK claims he was stealing the poster. Very possible North Korea was looking for one more bargaining chip to use against the US and they duped him as the fall guy. NK has a long history of lying, no reason to think they started telling the truth now. Only thing poor Otto is guilty of is being 22 and making a bad decision. 

i agree but the major mistake he made was going to north korea in the first place. regardless of weather or not he stole anything he still made that decision. has made me reflect on some of the bad decisions i made in my younger day such as drink driving and the effects it would have had on my family has something happened.

[IAMHERE]

Perhaps they are mystified by his death in Cincinnati but they they know why he was in a coma.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

North Korea should not get any visiters from any country, it should be avoided and not

seen by any one. 

I believe that North Korea tours for foreigners originate in China. Given Trump's great relationship with Xi, Trump can get Xi to prevent any North Korean tour that includes North Americans in their group. Easy Peasy.

[Slickrick]

Would not believe anything they say.

[pogal]

On 6/24/2017 at 9:28 AM, phantomfiddler said:

It look to me as if the wonderful people in north korea are experimenting on prisoners, as oxygen deprivation would be the most likely cause of the brain damage that the poor lad suffered. 15 years hard labour for nicking a poster ? get real ! There should be some form of World Court that can do something about ridiculous sentences.

Some countries give you 15 years for just saying something not nice about someone! :) 

[wabothai]

On 6/24/2017 at 8:55 AM, retarius said:

Wonder why the family requested no autopsy?

Suggested hush hush from above.

[maewang99]

when he cried for his ruined life..... he cried too much.....

and became a really big problem... 

left without a different ending to the narrative... .... thoughts of folks whose lives are not something they would ever cry about to that scale.... means that.....

he was not a good example giver.

he should have taken 'hard labor' in stride... like a DPRKer must.
 

punishment is hard beatings and maybe an earlier than later death...... hard labor is merely a fact of life. 












 

Edited June 26, 2017 by maewang99

[lvr181]

When a country has goons who look like this (see picture), justice is totally distorted.

 

60 years without a war and look at the clowns! Medals down their trousers. A medal for each a** licking and kow towing? Pathetic criminals who seem hell bent on giving draconian punishments to visitors whilst threatening the world with nuclear war (which they would lose but at great cost to South Korea). 

 

But you get a laugh out of the picture.

 

[ncc1701d]

On 6/24/2017 at 9:55 AM, retarius said:

Wonder why the family requested no autopsy?

I thought it was mandatory. Maybe that's other countries?

[anon4546543]

On 24/06/2017 at 10:54 AM, Kiwiken said:

You go to a Nation Known for its Authoritarianism  and brutality. You tear down a propoganda poster and think what? You will get a $50 fine and a slap on the hand. No you are going to be made a Public example of Western decadism . You will get hard labor. If you protest you will be beaten.

Thank goodness western Countries are not as brutal. Only humane water boarding, thumb screws, nail pulling and other minor humiliations.

You want to be treated as you are in your own Countries. Want to travel respect the laws in other Nations. And p.s do your homework first. Stupid acts have deadly repercussions.

I feel sorry for his Family. Why did he go there in the first place?

 

I have talked to loonie JW,s declaring that they would love to bring their version of religion to Nth Korea.

 There are loonies,  and there are silly young men and some women.

 Religious extremists should know the "problems" they may encounter in a Chinese/ Russian enclave of a country.

May some power help the Nth Koreans, but I doubt it. Really it is up to China? 

[nausea]

The family are now claiming torture.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41409878

 

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