Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student held prisoner for 17 months by North Korea, is now free. According to the nation’s government-run news agency on Thursday, Otto’s release was on “humanitarian grounds.”
North Korea's statement came the same day Otto’s father held a news conference in which he condemned the Obama administration for failing to do more to have his son freed. Fred Warmbier revealed that the Obama administration had actually urged the family to keep a low profile to avoid offending North Korean, whose leadership is viewed as unpredictable.
He added that Obama never made a phone call to the family unlike President Trump who spoke with them via phone. He said he had spoken to the president about his son’s release, saying the call “was gracious and felt good.”
When asked Thursday if the previous administration could have done better to have Otto released, Warmbier responded: “I think the results are very clear to everyone.”
