North Korea speaks out for first time after death of US student

North Korea today, June 23, officially spoke out about the death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old student who was detained by Pyongyang for 17 months and returned to the US in a deep coma.

Student Otto Warmbier is escorted to a North Korean court in 2016. Photo: Yonhap

North Korea's state news agency KCNA said on June 23 that Pyongyang did not brutally treat or torture American citizen Otto Warmbier after arresting the 22-year-old student in January last year.

According toKCNA, North Korea handled Otto Warmbier's case entirely based on domestic laws as well as international norms.

Otto was previously accused by a North Korean court of stealing a propaganda banner while traveling in the country and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

According toFox News, notice byKCNAreleased today is North Korea's first official reaction to the death of Otto Warmbier after the student was released to the United States last week.

When deciding to release Otto after 17 months of detention, Pyongyang said it was doing so for humanitarian reasons.

Otto was brought back to the US from North Korea in a coma and died on June 19, just six days after his release.

Although Pyongyang said Otto suffered from botulism and had to take sleeping pills, doctors treating him at a hospital in the United States said the student apparently suffered from a breathing disorder that deprived his brain of oxygen.

US President Donald Trump called the incident involving Otto a "disgrace" and heavily criticized the Pyongyang government./.

According to Dan Tri