(Reuters) – The family of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after having been imprisoned in North Korea, blamed Kim Jong Un for their son’s death on Friday, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that he accepted the leader’s claims to have been unaware of the case.
“Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released by their attorney. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.”
FILE PHOTO: Otto Frederick Warmbier (C), a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea since early January, is taken to North Korea’s top court in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo March 16, 2016. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
During this week’s Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam, where the two sides failed to reach a deal for the reclusive nation to give up its nuclear weapons, Trump praised Kim and said he accepted his claims not to have been aware of how Warmbier was treated.
“He tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word,” Trump told a news conference. He also praised Kim’s leadership.
(Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Nick Zieminski)