Pyongyang's Brutality

22 Jun 2017

US, Otto Warmbier

 

South Korean President Moon Jae-In said on Tuesday that North Korea bears responsibility for the death of US student Otto Warmbier, and described its regime as irrational.

 

The 22-year-old Warmbier, who was released in a coma last week after nearly 18 months in detention in North Korea, died Monday -- prompting Trump to slam the "brutal regime" in Pyongyang. He had been sentenced for stealing a political poster from his hotel. Warmbier was medically evacuated to the United States a week ago, suffering from severe brain damage. He died six days later surrounded by relatives in his hometown of Cincinnati. "Yes, this had happened while Mr Warmbier was in the detention of North Korean authorities," Moon told CBS television's "This Morning." 

 
"We cannot know for sure that North Korea killed Mr Warmbier, but I believe it is quite clear that they have a heavy responsibility in the process that led to his death," the president added.
North Korea has claimed Warmbier fell into a coma soon after he was sentenced last year, saying he had contracted botulism and been given a sleeping pill.

Medical tests in the United States offered no conclusive evidence as to the cause of his neurological injuries, and no evidence of a prior botulism infection. Asked how the Warmbier case would affect Moon's efforts to engage North Korea as he has said he wants to, the president added: "I believe we must now have the perception that North Korea is an irrational regime.


Canadian Pastor, Hyeon Soo Lim

The family of a Canadian pastor serving a life sentence in North Korea is concerned for his welfare after the death of an American student after imprisonment there, and wants Canada to work harder to secure his release, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

 

Hyeon Soo Lim, who served at one of the largest churches in Canada, was sentenced to hard labour for life in December 2015 for what North Korea says was an attempt to overthrow the regime.

 

 Family spokeswoman Lisa Pak said Lim's family wants to see a more aggressive approach from the Canadian government following the death of American university student Otto Warmbier earlier this week, days after he was released from captivity in North Korea in a coma. "The family is very concerned at this point," said Pak. "They are hoping the Canadian government will turn (efforts) up a few notches in terms of active diplomacy and really start engaging."

Pak said there have been no substantial developments in the case since December 2016 when Canadian officials visited Lim. The family spoke with Canadian officials this week, who promised something different would be done, though they did not provide details, she said.

A spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada, the government's foreign affairs department, said the case is "absolutely a priority". "The government of Canada is very concerned about the health, well-being, and continued detention of Mr. Lim," spokeswoman Jocelyn Sweet said. "We have been actively engaged on this difficult case and consular officials are ‎working actively to secure Mr. Lim's release." 

Lim's Toronto-area church has said Lim visited North Korea more than 100 times since 1997 and helped set up an orphanage and nursing home.

Last year, Lim told CNN he spends eight hours a day digging holes at a labour camp where he has not seen any other prisoners.

Source: Reuter News