[ad_1]
Cynthia Warmbier, the mother of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died in 2017 after being jailed for several months in North Korea, said Friday that diplomacy with her boss, Kim Jong-un, was a "charade" and resembled Mr. Kim's diet. to "absolute evil".
"It's obvious to the world that we're on the right track," she said of Kim. "But unless you keep up the pressure on North Korea, it will not change, and I'm very scared we're going to let that pressure drop."
She added, "There is a charade right now. This is what is called diplomacy. How can you have a diplomacy with someone who never tells the truth? That's what I want to know. I am for, but I am very skeptical. "
She made these comments at the Hudson Institute in Washington, where she attended a seminar on "The Abduction of Japanese, Koreans, Americans and Other Nationals by North Korea, "according to the institute.
"It should not be a partisan issue, it's a problem," she said.
"We can ignore it, as I would have done, if it did not happen," she said. "I can not guarantee that something bad will not happen if we leave things in place."
Mrs. Warmbier's remarks came as North Korea on Saturday launched a short-range projectile off its east coast, which could raise tensions, as denuclearization talks with the United States remain at a standstill.
His comments were among the few public statements of the family since the return to the United States of Mr. Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, in June 2017.
In her speech, Mrs. Warmbier thanked the American government for bringing Mr. Warmbier back to the United States. Nevertheless, his death cast a shadow over relations with North Korea and President Trump's efforts to engage with Kim.
In February, when Mr Trump met with Mr Kim at a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, he was asked at a press conference when he had talked about Mr Warmbier with him. Mr. Trump replied, "He told me he did not know about it and I'm going to take it at his word."
"We have been respectful during this summit process," said Warmbiers. "Now we have to talk."
Efforts to reach Ms. Warmbier in order to get other comments were unsuccessful on Friday night. The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
In December 2015, Mr. Warmbier participated in a five-day North Korea tour with a Chinese company that had announced "low budget trips to destinations where your mother would prefer to stay out of the way".
In early January 2016, he was arrested for trying to remove a propaganda poster in a hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and forced labor, but fell into a coma during his detention. Mr. Warmbier spent 17 months in jail before being sent back to the United States, deaf, blind and unable to communicate.
In December, Warmbier's parents obtained a $ 501 million judgment after prosecuting North Korea in federal court after the death of their son.
North Korea had apparently billed the Trump administration for $ 2 million for Mr. Warmbier's medical care, but Trump said in April that the money had never been paid.
"If I had known that North Korea wanted money for Otto, I would have gladly donated money from the first day," Ms. Warmbier said Friday.
[ad_2]
Source link