Warmbier family rebuke Trump's praise of Kim Jong-un

International Desk: The family of a US student who died after he was jailed in North Korea have implicitly rebuked President Donald Trump's lauding of Kim Jong-un.

Otto Warmbier's parents said they had been "respectful" during Mr Trump and the North Korean leader's recent summit, but were now speaking out.

They said "no excuse or lavish praise can change" that "Kim and his evil regime" killed their son.

Their statement came after Mr Trump heaped compliments on Mr Kim.

Mr Trump's second nuclear summit with Mr Kim this week in Vietnam ended without agreement.

After the family's blistering statement was released, Mr Trump took to Twitter where he said he had been "misinterpreted".

The family released a brief statement on Friday condemning praise for the North Korean leader, without mentioning Mr Trump by name.

"We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out," wrote Fred and Cindy Warmbier.

"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 excuse or lavish praise can change that."

Warmbier was jailed in Pyongyang in January 2016 during an organised tour, accused of stealing a hotel poster.

The University of Virginia student was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour, but released after 17 months.

The 22-year-old was returned to the US in a vegetative state in June 2017, and died days later in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Warmbiers attended the 2018 State of the Union speech as the president's guests, weeping as he called them "powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world".

Source: BBC


risingbd/March 2, 2019/Mukul