Trump calls death of Ohio student who was detained in North Korea 'a total disgrace'

U.S. President Donald Trump says that the death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier after his lengthy detention in North Korea is a "total disgrace," but if the college student had been returned home to the U.S. earlier, "the result would have been a lot different."

Trump said Tuesdayhe had spoken with Warmbier's parents, telling reporters in the Oval Office that it was "incredible what they've gone through." Seated next to the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, Trump said Warmbier "should have been brought home a long time ago."

"It's a total disgrace what happened to Otto. That should never ever be allowed to happen," Trump said. "And frankly if he were brought home sooner I think the result would have been a lot different."

The Ohio college student died Monday at a Cincinnati hospital, nearly a week after his return to the United States after being held in North Korea for more than 17 months. Warmbier's parents have not cited a specific cause of death, but pointed to "awful, torturous mistreatment" by North Korea.

Doctors have described Warmbier's condition as a state of "unresponsive wakefulness" and said he suffered a "severe neurological injury" of unknown cause.

• CBC IN NORTH KOREA l Frustration as Ottawa fails to secure Canadian's release

The University of Virginia student was accused of trying to steal a propaganda banner while visiting with a tour group and was convicted of subversion. He was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison with hard labour.

Trump on Tuesday afternoon said that he appreciates China's efforts to exert pressure on North Korea, which has also worried the international community with missile tests, but "it has not worked out."

Trump tweeted Tuesday, "While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!"

The statementappeared to contradict what White House spokesperson Sean Spicer had said minutes earlier when asked about North Korea and the Warmbier case at a press briefing.

"Obviously China has played, and can continue to play, a greater role in helping to resolve this situation," he said. "And we will continue to, hopefully, build on the relationship and the dialogue that we've had with China. I think there's some positive steps that they've taken, both at the UN and economically, to help strengthen the case against North Korea."

Meanwhile, at a separate State Department press briefing, a spokesperson there said the U.S. holds "North Korea accountable for Otto Warmbier's unjust imprisonment."

"We want to see three other Americans who were unjustly detained brought home as soon as possible," said spokesperson Heather Nauert.

Han Tae Song, North Korea's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, speaking in his first interview since taking up the post in February, declined to comment specifically about Warmbier's case or the fate of other American, South Korean and Canadian detainees still held by his country.

But he firmly rejected two statements issued last week by Tomas Ojea-Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, about detainees and stalled family reunions between Koreans on both sides of the divided peninsula.

"His remarks are unacceptable and distorting realities," Han told Reuters at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) diplomatic mission along Lake Geneva.

3 Americans, Canadian detained in North Korea

Ojea-Quintana had called on Pyongyang on Friday to explain why Warmbier was in a coma when he was returned home after being denied access to legal and consular services. The UN expert said his theft of an item bearing a propaganda slogan seemed "disproportionate" to the 15-year prison term.

"That is what we expected from him. As I said already, he [Ojea-Quintana] is the model servant of the hostile forces," Han said, making clear he was referring to the United States and its allies that conduct joint military exercises regularly along the volatile border. "We are doing according to our national laws, and according to the international standards," Han said, adding that he was not an expert on detention issues.

The three American citizens still in custody in North Korea are:

• Kim Dong Chul, a businessman.
• Tony Kim, a university professor.
• Kim Hak-song, auniversity employee.

Hyeon Soo Lim, a pastor wholived in the Toronto area for three decades after emigrating from South Korea, has been detained in North Korea since 2015. Before his detention, hehad made dozens of trips to North Korea for humanitarian aid purposes, according to his church and family.