North Korea frees US student Otto Warmbier 'in coma'

By Euronews

Published on 13/06/2017 - 17:22

The student from Cincinnati, given 15 years hard labour for stealing a poster, was said to be on his way home after being 'medically evacuated'.

North Korea has released an American student who had been held captive for over a year and a half.

Otto Warmbier, 22, was arrested and put on trial last year after stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel reception in Pyongyang during a visit to the country. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labour.

According to the Washington Post, the student’s parents say they have been told their son has been in a coma for over a year after falling ill from botulism and has been medically evacuated.

The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed the release, saying that the University of Virginia student from Cincinnati was now on his way home. He did not comment on Warmbier’s condition.

Tillerson added that the State Department was continuing to discuss the cases of three other Americans detained in North Korea.