The parents of Otto Warmbier responded to President Trump’s defense of Kim Jong-un in a statement on Friday, reiterating the Kim and “his evil regime” were responsible for their son’s death, CNN reported.
“We have been respectful during this summit process,” Fred Warmbier and Cindy Warmbier said in the statement. “Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.”
Wow: the Warmbier family has released this statement after @potus said he believed Kim Jong Un when Kim said he didn’t know about about the American student’s treatment pic.twitter.com/8Il7vTAdIS
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) March 1, 2019
After he walked away from denuclearization negotiations with Kim this week, Trump defended the ruthless dictator, telling reporters that he took Kim “at his word” when Kim said he didn’t know how Otto Warmbier was treated when he was imprisoned in North Korea for a year and a half. Warmbier was arrested for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster while he was in the country on a guided tour.
After his arrest, Warmbier was forced to speak at a press conference to beg for his freedom, making Kim’s claim that he was unaware of Warmbier’s treatment unlikely. Warmbier died six days after he was returned to the U.S. and doctors believe he had been in a coma for more than a year.
