Otto Warmbier, an American university student held prisoner in North Korea for 17 months and said by his family to be in a coma, was medically evacuated from the reclusive country after a rare visit there from a high-level United States official. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor following a brief one hour trial and, despite pleas from American State Department officials that his sentence was "unduly harsh". He was arrested in January 2016 and accused of trying to steal a propaganda poster from an employee area of his hotel. But a USA official told the New York Times that the US had recently obtained intelligence indicating the young man had been repeatedly beaten in custody.
Officials involved in securing Warmbier's release told The Washington Post that it had nothing to do with Rodman's trip to Pyongyang, calling it a "bizarre coincidence" that might have been a deliberate ploy from North Korea to distract from Warmbier's condition.
Richardson, a Democrat, credited the Department of State with securing Warmbier's return from North Korea without any preconditions but said a forceful response from the USA government would be required "if its determined that there was a cover-up and Otto's condition was not disclosed and he didn't get proper treatment".
When asked if he would bring up the cases of Warmbier and three other Americans detained in North Korea, Rodman told reporters, "that's not my objective right now. Out of respect for the privacy of Mr. Warmbier and his family, we have no further comment on Mr. Warmbier".
Dennis Rodman, the former National Basketball Association bad boy who has palled around with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, flew back to Pyongyang on Tuesday for the first time in Donald Trump's presidency.
A military aircraft landed in Cincinnati late Tuesday night and Warmbier was reportedly taken directly to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Otto Warmbier, 22, is in a coma, his father Fred Warmbier told NPR News on Tuesday.
Afghan soldier attacks foreign troops at base
Unconfirmed reports earlier indicated at least four United States soldiers were killed and as many were wounded in the attack. Last week three US soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that it has approved three more requests by local civic groups to contact North Koreans, raising the total to 21.
Together with Kenneth Bae, the DPRK government released Matthew Todd Miller, another USA citizen who tore his visa upon arrival at Pyongyang International Airport in an alleged attempt to seek asylum and was later given a six-year sentence for similar charges. Warmbier's family said in a statement that he is in a coma and on his way home. "This is wrong", David Lee, one of the men who said he studied with Kim, told CNN.
In 2014, Rodman arranged a basketball game with other former NBA players and North Koreans and regaled leader Kim with a rendition of "Happy Birthday". While it is a secular school - North Korea keeps a tight grip on information about religion - the university chiefly employs Christian staff.
Warmbier's parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, said they were told he has been in a coma since his trial, when he was last seen in public, and they had learned of this only one week ago. He was convicted in March 2016 and sentenced to 10 years hard labor, about a week after Warmbier's conviction - both sentences were handed down shortly after the US had levied steeper sanctions against North Korea in response to missile testing. The State Department representative "immediately demanded the North Koreans release Warmbier on humanitarian grounds".
Republican Senator Rob Portman says North Korea should be "universally condemned for its abhorrent behavior". Rodman was a cast member on two seasons of Trump's TV reality show "Celebrity Apprentice". "We'll be relieved to have him home and are looking forward to surrounding him with people who love him".
- Kim Hak Song, who was detained in early May to be investigated for committing unspecified hostile acts, North Korea has said. The United States and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations.
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