U.S. student Otto Warmbier’s tragic death Monday, after being released from a North Korean prison in a coma, has again put an international focus on the widespread human rights violations allegedly being committed by the Kim Jong Un government.

“This is a government that frankly is a human rights abomination. It is a human rights black hole,” said Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

In January of 2024, Warmbier was arrested in Pyongyang for allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster at a hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor, then fell into a coma 15 months ago from which he never awoke.

North Korean officials said the 22-year-old American university student contracted botulism while in custody and was given a sleeping pill that put him into a comatose state. Doctors at the hospital in Cincinnati, where he was being treated after being released, discounted the North Korean account but could not say what caused the severe neurological injury.

"Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today," the family said in a statement following his death.

U.S. President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the family in a statement Monday saying, “There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life.”

The president also said the death deepens his determination to prevent future tragedies "at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency.''

Other U.S. officials issued similar statements of sympathy for the family and outrage at what they described as Warmbier’s brutal, inhumane treatment by the North Korean government.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in issued a statement offering “condolence and consolation” to Warmbier’s family, and also condemned North Korea for detaining foreign nationals without regard for human rights guaranteed under international law.

“North Korea is still detaining our citizens and American citizens, and it needs to return them to their families immediately, and our government will put utmost effort for this,” said South Korean Presidential Office spokesman Park Soo-hyun.

There are six South Koreans currently imprisoned in North Korea. Some were missionaries who were charged with spying and others were reportedly kidnapped by North Korean agents while helping defectors on the Chinese side of the border.

U.S. officials have said they are concerned about three Korean-Americans who remain held in North Korea.

The U.S. government accuses North Korea of using such detainees as political pawns. North Korea accuses Washington and South Korea of sending spies to overthrow its government.

在昏迷狀態下被朝鮮釋放的美國學生奧托·瓦姆比爾星期一不幸去世。他的死訊再次使金正恩政府下據信普遍存在的侵犯人權的現象引起了國際社會的關注。

人權觀察亞洲副主任菲爾·羅伯遜說：“坦率地說，這個政府就是一個人權夢魘，一個人權黑洞。”

2024年1月，瓦姆比爾被平壤當局逮捕，罪名是企圖從朝鮮一家旅館偷取一張政治宣傳畫，他后來被判15年勞教。瓦姆比爾15個月前陷入昏迷，再也沒有醒來。

朝鮮當局聲稱，瓦姆比爾被押期間肉毒桿菌中毒并服用安眠藥之后陷入昏迷。他的家鄉俄亥俄州辛辛納提市負責瓦姆比爾治療的醫生否定了朝鮮的說法，但是無法確定他遭受的嚴重神經傷害是什么原因造成的。

瓦姆比爾的家人在一份聲明中說，“我們兒子在朝鮮人手里受到的嚴酷的折磨，確定了最后不會有其它的結果。”

美國總統川普星期一向瓦姆比爾的家人表示哀悼。他在書面聲明中說：“對于父母來說，最大的悲哀莫過于孩子英年早逝。”

川普還說，瓦姆比爾的死亡更加堅定了他的信念，要防止“不尊重法治或人類基本尊嚴的政權”制造更多的悲劇。

美國其他官員也發表了類似聲明，對瓦姆比爾的家人表達慰問，并對瓦姆比爾受到朝鮮政府殘酷和非人的對待表示憤慨。

韓國總統文在寅發表聲明，對瓦姆比爾的家人表示“哀悼和慰問”，同時譴責朝鮮無視國際法保障的人權，拘留外國公民。

韓國總統府發言人說：“朝鮮還在關押著韓國和美國公民，朝鮮需要立即讓他們回來跟家人團聚，我們政府為此將竭盡全力。”

目前還有六名韓國人被朝鮮關押，有些人是傳教士，被控從事間諜行為，其他人據報道是在邊界中國一側幫助脫北者時被朝鮮特工綁架的。

美國官員說，朝鮮繼續關押的三名朝鮮裔美國人的處境令他們擔憂。

美國指責朝鮮把這幾個人當作政治籌碼。朝鮮則指責美國和韓國派出間諜試圖推翻朝鮮政府。

U.S. student Otto Warmbier’s tragic death Monday, after being released from a North Korean prison in a coma, has again put an international focus on the widespread human rights violations allegedly being committed by the Kim Jong Un government.

“This is a government that frankly is a human rights abomination. It is a human rights black hole,” said Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

In January of 2024, Warmbier was arrested in Pyongyang for allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster at a hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor, then fell into a coma 15 months ago from which he never awoke.

North Korean officials said the 22-year-old American university student contracted botulism while in custody and was given a sleeping pill that put him into a comatose state. Doctors at the hospital in Cincinnati, where he was being treated after being released, discounted the North Korean account but could not say what caused the severe neurological injury.

"Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today," the family said in a statement following his death.

U.S. President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the family in a statement Monday saying, “There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life.”

The president also said the death deepens his determination to prevent future tragedies "at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency.''

Other U.S. officials issued similar statements of sympathy for the family and outrage at what they described as Warmbier’s brutal, inhumane treatment by the North Korean government.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in issued a statement offering “condolence and consolation” to Warmbier’s family, and also condemned North Korea for detaining foreign nationals without regard for human rights guaranteed under international law.

“North Korea is still detaining our citizens and American citizens, and it needs to return them to their families immediately, and our government will put utmost effort for this,” said South Korean Presidential Office spokesman Park Soo-hyun.

There are six South Koreans currently imprisoned in North Korea. Some were missionaries who were charged with spying and others were reportedly kidnapped by North Korean agents while helping defectors on the Chinese side of the border.

U.S. officials have said they are concerned about three Korean-Americans who remain held in North Korea.

The U.S. government accuses North Korea of using such detainees as political pawns. North Korea accuses Washington and South Korea of sending spies to overthrow its government.

在昏迷狀態下被朝鮮釋放的美國學生奧托·瓦姆比爾星期一不幸去世。他的死訊再次使金正恩政府下據信普遍存在的侵犯人權的現象引起了國際社會的關注。

人權觀察亞洲副主任菲爾·羅伯遜說：“坦率地說，這個政府就是一個人權夢魘，一個人權黑洞。”

2024年1月，瓦姆比爾被平壤當局逮捕，罪名是企圖從朝鮮一家旅館偷取一張政治宣傳畫，他后來被判15年勞教。瓦姆比爾15個月前陷入昏迷，再也沒有醒來。

朝鮮當局聲稱，瓦姆比爾被押期間肉毒桿菌中毒并服用安眠藥之后陷入昏迷。他的家鄉俄亥俄州辛辛納提市負責瓦姆比爾治療的醫生否定了朝鮮的說法，但是無法確定他遭受的嚴重神經傷害是什么原因造成的。

瓦姆比爾的家人在一份聲明中說，“我們兒子在朝鮮人手里受到的嚴酷的折磨，確定了最后不會有其它的結果。”

美國總統川普星期一向瓦姆比爾的家人表示哀悼。他在書面聲明中說：“對于父母來說，最大的悲哀莫過于孩子英年早逝。”

川普還說，瓦姆比爾的死亡更加堅定了他的信念，要防止“不尊重法治或人類基本尊嚴的政權”制造更多的悲劇。

美國其他官員也發表了類似聲明，對瓦姆比爾的家人表達慰問，并對瓦姆比爾受到朝鮮政府殘酷和非人的對待表示憤慨。

韓國總統文在寅發表聲明，對瓦姆比爾的家人表示“哀悼和慰問”，同時譴責朝鮮無視國際法保障的人權，拘留外國公民。

韓國總統府發言人說：“朝鮮還在關押著韓國和美國公民，朝鮮需要立即讓他們回來跟家人團聚，我們政府為此將竭盡全力。”

目前還有六名韓國人被朝鮮關押，有些人是傳教士，被控從事間諜行為，其他人據報道是在邊界中國一側幫助脫北者時被朝鮮特工綁架的。

美國官員說，朝鮮繼續關押的三名朝鮮裔美國人的處境令他們擔憂。

美國指責朝鮮把這幾個人當作政治籌碼。朝鮮則指責美國和韓國派出間諜試圖推翻朝鮮政府。