Otto Warmbier’s parents criticize Trump and Kim

The parents of an American college student who died after being detained in North Korea released a statement Friday blaming North Korean leader Kim Jon Un and rebuking U.S. President Donald Trump. After the two leaders met this week in Hanoi, Vietnam, Trump said he takes Kim “at his word” that the leader was unaware of any mistreatment of Otto Warmbier. In the statement, Warmbier’s parents said they were “respectful” during the summit but now needed to speak out. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto,” they wrote. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.” Warmbier died in June 2017 after he was released from North Korea and returned home in a vegetative state.

“I want to make clear that we can never forget about Otto,” Republican Sen. Rob Portman, from the Warmbiers’ home state of Ohio, told The Hill. “His treatment at the hands of his captors was unforgivable and it tells us a lot about the nature of the regime.”