Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 14 June 2017
Amid diplomatic contact:

North Korea frees American college student

By MATTHEW LEE nation, has compounded
MATTHEW PENNINGTON tensions between Wash-
Associated Press ington and Pyongyang.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Americans remain in
An American college stu- custody.
dent who has been in a Warmbier, 22, a University
coma, according to his of Virginia undergraduate,
parents, while serving a 15- was convicted and sen-
year prison term in North tenced in a one-hour trial
Korea, was released and in North Korea’s Supreme
evacuated Tuesday as Court in March 2016. He
the Trump administration was sentenced to 15 years
revealed a rare exchange in prison with hard labor for
with the reclusive country. subversion after he tear-
The release of Otto Warm- fully confessed that he had
bier came during a visit to tried to steal a propagan-
North Korea by former NBA da banner.
star Dennis Rodman, one Secretary of State Rex Til-
of few people to have met lerson announced that the
both North Korean leader State Department had se-
Kim Jong Un and President cured Warmbier’s release
In this Feb. 29, 2016 file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks to reporters in Pyongyang, Donald Trump. at the direction of the presi-
North Korea. Secretary of State Tillerson said Tuesday, June 13, 2017, that North Korea released the But State Department dent. He said Warmbier, of
jailed U.S. university student
(AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon) spokeswoman Heather Cincinnati, was en route to
Nauert told reporters Rod- the U.S.
man had nothing to do Fred and Cindy Warmbier
with Warmbier’s release. said in a statement to The
Rodman had told re- Associated Press that their
porters before arriving in son is in a coma and flying
Pyongyang that the issue home.
of Americans detained by They said they were told
North Korea is “not my pur- their son has been in a
pose right now.” coma since his trial — when
Instead, the administration he was last seen in public
credited the release to its — and they had learned
diplomatic intervention. of this only one week ago.
It said its special envoy on U.S. officials did not con-
North Korean policy met firm those details. The State
with North Korean foreign Department would not
ministry representatives in comment on Warmbier’s
Norway last month. The condition, citing privacy
North Koreans agreed concerns. Nauert said the
to allow consular visits to last consular visit to Warm-
four Americans held in the bier, by Swedish diplomats,
North. was March 2.
Such meetings are unusual “We want the world to
because the two govern- know how we and our son
ments do not have diplo- have been brutalized and
matic relations. terrorized by the pariah
While North Korea’s move regime” in North Korea,
to free Warmbier could po- Warmbier’s parents said.
tentially provide an open- “We are so grateful that he
ing for talks on security will finally be with people
issues, the prospects still ap- who love him.”
pear bleak. A White House official said
International negotiations Trump had instructed Til-
on the dispute over North lerson to take all appropri-
Korea’s nuclear program ate measures to secure the
have been in limbo for release of Americans held
years, as the U.S. cranks up in North Korea. The official
economic sanctions and referred to them as “hos-
North Korea won’t give tages.”
up weapons it considers The U.S. government ac-
a guarantee against inva- cuses North Korea of us-
sion. ing such detainees as
The detention of Ameri- political pawns. North Ko-
cans, often sentenced rea accuses Washington
to draconian prison sen- and South Korea of send-
tences for seemingly small ing spies to overthrow its
offenses in the totalitarian government.q