President Donald Trump, in a news conference following his historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, said the death of Otto Warmbier was crucial to today’s talks.
Trump said without Warmbier’s death, his meeting with Kim may not have happened.
“Otto did not die in vain,” he said.
>> THE LATEST: Trump stuns Koreas by announcing war games’ end
Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student from Cincinnati, was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster. He died in June 2017, days after he returned to the U.S. with severe brain damage.
>> Death of Otto Warmbier, former N. Korean detainee, draws international reaction
Warmbier’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against North Korea in April.
>> Parents sue North Korea over death of detainee Otto Warmier
About the Author
