Death of US student is a mystery, says North Korea

NORTH Korea described the death of Otto Warmbier as a “mystery” yesterday and denied it had used cruel treatment and torture on the US student.

Pyongyang also claimed that Mr Warmbier, who died on Monday after being held in the reclusive state for 18 months, was “a victim of the policy of strategic patience” under the former US president Barack Obama.

In an extraordinary statement the reclusive totalitarian state claimed to be the big victim in the affair. A regime spokesman said: “To make it clear, we are the biggest victim of this incident and there would be no more foolish judgment than to think we do not know how to calculate gains and losses.”

A foreign ministry spokesman was also quoted by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying: “The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well.”

Mr Warmbier was arrested for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labour in March 2016.

He was returned to the US shortly before his death after being released with brain damage. The exact cause of Warmbier’s death remains unclear.

KCNA accused South Korea of making “slanderous talk about cruel treatment and torture” of Warmbier.

“Our related institutions are treating criminals who committed crimes against (our) republic strictly based on domestic law and international standards, and Warmbier was no different,” KCNA said.

Meanwhile, North Korea is ramping up its efforts to build a missile which can reach the US mainland with the test of a rocket engine which could be used for a long-range projectile.