03 March,2019 07:41 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
File photo of Otto Warmbier taken in 2016
President Donald Trump on Friday sought to quell a firestorm sparked by his comments on the case of an American student tortured and left in a coma in North Korea, saying his words had been "misinterpreted."
Trump sparked widespread criticism when he told reporters at this week's summit with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam that he believed the North Korean leader's claim that he didn't know what happened to Otto Warmbier during his detention.
The 22-year-old died days after being sent back to the United States in 2017. Fred and Cindy Warmbier, parents of the American university student, strongly rebuked President Donald Trump for accepting Kim Jong Un's claim that he did not know about the case.
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After a stern rebuke from Warmbier's parents, Trump took to Twitter, insisting he held North Korea responsible for the student's death - but without directly blaming Kim or even mentioning him.
"I never like being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family," Trump said. "Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto's death."
Donald Trump. Pics/AFP
What happened to Otto Warmbier?
Otto Warmbier, an Ohio native who studied at the University of Virginia, had travelled to North Korea on a tour. He was pulled away at the Pyongyang airport and charged with crimes against the state for allegedly taking down a propaganda poster in his hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour. After lengthy negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, Warmbier was released but died in a vegetative state in a Cincinnati hospital days after his release from North Korea.
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