Father of Otto Warmbier say US soldier who ran across border to North Korea is ... trends now
The father of a young American who died after he was detained in North Korea has said the US soldier held by the communist dictatorship deserves 'the benefit of the doubt' and fears he is now 'hostage, political prisoner and a pawn'.
Fred Warmbier also said the US government should work to 'resolve' the crisis after Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, sprinted across the border with South Korea on Tuesday.
Warmbier's son, Otto Warmbier, died aged 22 after he was detained in North Korea in January 2016 while visiting the country with a tour group. Otto was convicted on charges of stealing a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
Officials in the Trump administration helped secure Otto's release in June 2017 but he was brought home in a vegetative state and died days later. His family and the US have said he suffered brain damage while being tortured by North Korea.
Warmbier, who campaigns with his wife, Cindy, to expose human rights abuses by North Korea, spoke out about King on Wednesday as fears grew for the soldier. Pyongyang has still not produced him or acknowledged the incident.
Otto Warmbier spent 17 months in detention in North Korea before he was returned to the US in a vegetative state. He died days later. Pictured: Otto is carried off of an airplane at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati
Otto Warmbier, died aged 22 after he was detained in North Korea in January 2016 while visiting the country with a tour group. He was returned to the US in a coma in June 2017 and died soon after. North Korea was accused of torturing Otto
Fred Warmbier said the US government should work to 'resolve' the crisis after Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, sprinted across with border with South Korea on Tuesday
Travis King crossed into North Korea shortly after being released from prison in South Korea
'We must give this young man the benefit of the doubt,' Warmbier told DailyMail.com
'We empathize with him and his family, no matter what the circumstances. North Korea is going to manipulate this situation, he is now a hostage, political prisoner and a pawn for the regime.'
'Our government has levers in place to resolve these situations, let's hope they decide to take action,' he added.
Otto, a University of Virginia student, had entered North Korea on December 29, 2015, during a trip organized by Young Pioneer Tours.
The group had stayed at the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang and celebrated New Year's Eve in Kim Il-sung Square. The country's authorities alleged that after the celebrations, Otto attempted to steal a propaganda poster from a staff-only area of the hotel.
The poster said 'let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong-il's patriotism!'
He was convicted by North Korean on charges of trying to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
Otto's father said previously that his son was 'curious' about North Korea's culture and 'wanted to meet the people'.
While not providing a clear reason for Otto's brain damage, North Korea denied that he was tortured and insisted that it had provided him medical care with 'all sincerity'.
The North accused the United States of a smear campaign and claimed itself as the 'biggest victim' in his death.
The mystery was compounded by reports that Otto may have attempted suicide while he was imprisoned in the country.
North Korean authorities paraded Otto Warmbier after his arrest and he was made to issue a forced confession
Otto (pictured in North Korea), a University of Virginia student, had entered the country on December 29, 2015, during a trip organized by Young Pioneer Tours
In 2022, a U.S. federal judge in New York ruled that Warmbier's parents — Fred and Cindy Warmbier — should receive $240,300 seized from a North Korean bank account, which would be a partial payment toward the more than $501 million they were awarded in 2018 by a federal judge in Washington.
King was photographed moments before the crossing as he enjoyed a tour of the ultra high-security area.
He was pictured wearing a black t-shirt and hat purchased from a gift shop at the demilitarized zone as he peers across the border into the secretive communist country.
