The president has made Warmbier’s death after 17 months in captivity in North Korea an important element in his ‘maximum pressure’ campaign
President Trump spoke Friday with the parents of American college student Otto Warmbier, who last summer died after 17 months in captivity in North Korea, offering emotional support ahead of his planned summit with dictator Kim Jong Un.
The president offered a warm message to the family during their conversation, according to sources familiar with the call, the latest in his administration’s personal outreach. Otto’s parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, have sued North Korea in federal court, charging the Kim regime «brutally tortured and murdered» their son.
[ Amid Trump’s diplomatic thaw, Otto Warmbier’s parents sue North Korea for having ‘brutally tortured and murdered’ their son]
The call comes as Trump has offered hints that three other Americans who remain prisoners in North Korea could be freed as part of the summit preparations.
“A lot of good things have already happened with respect to the hostages,» Trump told reporters on Friday. “And I think you’re going to see very good things. As I said yesterday, stayed tuned.”
[ ‘Stay tuned!’: Trump and advisers treat fate of North Korea prisoners as a cliffhanger]
Trump has made Warmbier’s case a key element of his administration’s «maximum pressure» campaign, castigating the North for its treatment of him during speeches at the United Nations, the general assembly in Seoul, and the State of the Union address.
