President Trump on Monday called Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American student who died Monday just days after returning from imprisonment in North Korea, the “latest victim” of Pyongyang’s brutal regime.
“Otto’s fate deepens my administration’s determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.
“The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim,” he said.
The president said he and first lady Melania Trump were offering “our deepest condolences” to the Warmbier family in Ohio. The young man was returned to the U.S. earlier this month in a coma, after being imprisoned in North Korea for a minor offense related to a Kim Jong-il poster.
“There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life,” the president said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto’s family and friends, and all who loved him.”
Addressing a meeting of technology CEOs at the White House, Mr. Trump said “a lot of bad things happened” to Mr. Warmbier.
“He spent a year and a half in North Korea,” the president said. “But at least we got him home to be with his parents where they were so happy to see him, even though he was in very tough condition. But he just passed away a little while ago. It is a brutal regime and we’ll be able to handle it.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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