Nearly two years after the death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student who was released from imprisonment in North Korea in a coma, it has been revealed that the United States was presented with a significant hospital invoice.North Korea issued a $2 million bill for the hospital care of Warmbier, according to theWashington PostandCNN.Joseph Yun, the former State Department Special Representative for North Korea, was ordered to travel to Pyongyang in June 2017 and bring Warmbier home. However, Yun was reportedly handed the $2 million bill and told to sign it before the University of Virginia student could be released, thePostreported.Before signing the bill, Yun called then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and informed him about the invoice, according to CNN, which also reported that Tillerson then called Trump, who ordered Yun to sign the paper.Kyodo“We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to PEOPLE.Yun told CNN he could not confirm the reports about the $2 million bill butsaid, “My orders were completely do whatever you can to get Otto Warmbier back.”Warmbier’s father Fred told thePostthat he had no previous knowledge of the bill, characterizing it as “ransom” for his deceased son. Fred and his wife Cindysued North Koreaover son Otto’s death and were awarded $501 million in damages in December.The $2 million bill, which went to the Treasury Department, remains unpaid, according to CNN.KyodoWarmbier, who was a native of the Cincinnati, Ohio, area,died on June 19, 2017, at age 22.He wassentenced to 15 years of prison and hard laborfor allegedly stealing a political propaganda poster from his Pyongyang hotel. He was in North Korea with a tour group and was arrested on Jan. 2, 2016, while trying to board a plane back to the U.S.After being detained for more than 17 months, Warmbier was released to the U.S. on June 13, 2017, in a coma. He died days later.“It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won’t be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds,” a statement from Warmbier’s parents read at the time. “But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched… that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”Evan Vucci/AP/ShutterstockAt the time of Warmbier’s death, Trump said in a statement: “Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing. There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto’s family and friends, and all who loved him.”However, in February 2018, TrumpdefendedKim Jong Un, saying that North Korean dictator was not at fault for the American student’s death. “What happened is horrible. I really believe something very bad happened to him and I don’t think that the top leadership knew about it,” the president said. “[Kim] tells me he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”
Nearly two years after the death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student who was released from imprisonment in North Korea in a coma, it has been revealed that the United States was presented with a significant hospital invoice.
North Korea issued a $2 million bill for the hospital care of Warmbier, according to theWashington PostandCNN.
Joseph Yun, the former State Department Special Representative for North Korea, was ordered to travel to Pyongyang in June 2017 and bring Warmbier home. However, Yun was reportedly handed the $2 million bill and told to sign it before the University of Virginia student could be released, thePostreported.
Before signing the bill, Yun called then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and informed him about the invoice, according to CNN, which also reported that Tillerson then called Trump, who ordered Yun to sign the paper.
Kyodo
“We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Yun told CNN he could not confirm the reports about the $2 million bill butsaid, “My orders were completely do whatever you can to get Otto Warmbier back.”
Warmbier’s father Fred told thePostthat he had no previous knowledge of the bill, characterizing it as “ransom” for his deceased son. Fred and his wife Cindysued North Koreaover son Otto’s death and were awarded $501 million in damages in December.
The $2 million bill, which went to the Treasury Department, remains unpaid, according to CNN.
Warmbier, who was a native of the Cincinnati, Ohio, area,died on June 19, 2017, at age 22.
He wassentenced to 15 years of prison and hard laborfor allegedly stealing a political propaganda poster from his Pyongyang hotel. He was in North Korea with a tour group and was arrested on Jan. 2, 2016, while trying to board a plane back to the U.S.
After being detained for more than 17 months, Warmbier was released to the U.S. on June 13, 2017, in a coma. He died days later.
“It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won’t be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds,” a statement from Warmbier’s parents read at the time. “But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched… that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”
Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock
At the time of Warmbier’s death, Trump said in a statement: “Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing. There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto’s family and friends, and all who loved him.”
However, in February 2018, TrumpdefendedKim Jong Un, saying that North Korean dictator was not at fault for the American student’s death. “What happened is horrible. I really believe something very bad happened to him and I don’t think that the top leadership knew about it,” the president said. “[Kim] tells me he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”
source: people.com
