Papaa Azonto
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 30, 2013
- 319
- 277
The parents of Otto Frederick Warmbier, an American college student detained in North Korea, are "greatly relieved' now that they've seen pictures of him for the first time in nearly two months.
"We had not heard from him during these many weeks, so you can imagine how deeply worried we were and what a traumatic experience this has been for us," Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released Monday. "He seems to be in good health, although we won't know for sure about his condition until we have a chance to speak with him."
North Korea allowed the world to get its first glimpse of Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, two months after his arrest.
Warmbier is accused of trying to steal a North Korean banner, containing a political slogan that was hanging from the walls of his Pyongyang hotel.
A North Korean official with direct knowledge of Warmbier's case says the 21-year-old held a news conference "at his own request" Monday morning at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.
The event provided insight into the bizarre charges he is facing in the secretive Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, including allegations that he was encouraged to commit the "hostile act" by a purported member of an Ohio church, a secretive university organization and even the CIA.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of media reports the U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea but declined to comment further "due to privacy considerations."
U.S. student held in North Korea 'confesses' - CNN.com
"We had not heard from him during these many weeks, so you can imagine how deeply worried we were and what a traumatic experience this has been for us," Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released Monday. "He seems to be in good health, although we won't know for sure about his condition until we have a chance to speak with him."
North Korea allowed the world to get its first glimpse of Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, two months after his arrest.
Warmbier is accused of trying to steal a North Korean banner, containing a political slogan that was hanging from the walls of his Pyongyang hotel.
A North Korean official with direct knowledge of Warmbier's case says the 21-year-old held a news conference "at his own request" Monday morning at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.
The event provided insight into the bizarre charges he is facing in the secretive Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, including allegations that he was encouraged to commit the "hostile act" by a purported member of an Ohio church, a secretive university organization and even the CIA.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of media reports the U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea but declined to comment further "due to privacy considerations."
U.S. student held in North Korea 'confesses' - CNN.com
